Lost and Found
by AlihandriaEllis
Summary: What if John Lennon had a twin sister. What if John Lennon had a twin sister who was separated from him at birth. What if John Lennon had a twin sister who was separated from him at birth and was in a rock band. Well, meet Alihandria Lennon. Rated T because I have a potty mouth.
1. Learn to be Still

**Hello, peoples! This is my first published story, so YAY! Okay, enough exclamation points. When I wrote this, I was listening to different songs when I wrote different chapters. To get the full effect, please go to and look up the chapter name. The italicized lyrics are property of Eagles, one of the best bands to ever walk this planet. I'm only going to use Eagles songs. Or songs written by members of Eagles. (If you don't think Casey will be running around singing Life's Been Good, you are soooo wrong) So, here it be...not ATU, sorry**

**DISCLAIMER: Do I REALLY look like I own the Beatles? Also, the italicized lyrics belong to the Eagles, another band I will own in my dreams.**

Hello. My name is Ali Lennon. Yes, as in John Lennon *cue screaming fangirls*. He's my twin brother. Not that we're close or anything. When we were born, my dad took me while my mom got Johnny. Dad and me moved to America while Mom stayed in Liverpool. Since my parents don't have ANY contact, I haven't seen my brother since I was born. In fact, we're about as different as night and day. I guess we have a similar facial structure...sort of. That's where the resemblance ends. My hair is blonde and I have blue eyes. John has brown hair and eyes. I dye my hair with the temporary spray-in stuff that people use for Halloween.

Actually, heritage aside, we have one thing in common. We both play guitar professionally in a band. His band, if you have just crawled out from under the rock you've been living in, is the Beatles. I'm in The Eagles. I have the worlds best band. Jack Caldwell, our bassist, is the sister I never had. She is hyper, crazy, nuts and completely PERFECT. Josh Hutcherson is our goth, dark creeper drummer. That guy is freaking EMO. Minus the cutting part. Seriously, he sends kids running to mommy on a regular basis. Out of all of us, Drew Johnson is the most normal. He's tall, blonde and shy as hell. If you need a ride home from somewhere, Drew is the one least likely to leave you sitting there for half an hour. Casey Brown is the kid brother who climbs on your bed screaming it's Christmas at 4 in the morning in the middle of July. He's the practical joker and the youngest. He's also the only one of us who doesn't have a college degree. Sitting in a lecture hall for two hours is Casey's version of hell. All of us share a house right next to the beach in southern California. Our music is all recorded from *da da daaa* OUR BASEMENT! It's not Downton Abbey, but it works. The Eagles are all like my siblings. I am defiantly closer to them than my brother. Which is his OWN DAMN FAULT! I sent him letters for a while, but all I was getting back was some pre-written letter and an invitation to join a Beatles fan club, so I stopped writing.

I woke up at 1:00 PM. Having chronic insomnia, I get to bed at 2:00 on a good night. Last night was not good. Nothing is quite like staying up until 6:00 AM working on a song. Sorry, I can't help it if my best ideas come between the hours of 2:00 and 4:00 in the morning. So I sleep in like mad. Anyway, the song was pretty good, so it was worth it.

"Morning," Jack grinned, handing me a cup of coffee. I wanted to hug her soooo bad right now.

"Jack, you are an absolute lifesaver," I groaned, inhaling the rich aroma before taking a sip. Mmm...perfect. I walked to the kitchen, coffee in hand, and hoped the food faeries had come. They didn't. So I made some toast and made a mental note to go to the store today.

"Your bro made the front page again," Drew commented as he tossed me the paper. Apparently they had released three number one singles. Whoopie-freaking-doo.

"Here he is again," Casey yelled, waving the gossipy, crappy section over his head while looking proud of himself. Why the hell he read that was beyond me.

"Another girlfriend...he sure goes through them fast," Jack laughed as she peered over my shoulder. I rolled my eyes and shut the paper. This was how I knew my brother. Newspapers. There is something wrong with this world...

I finished eating, went upstairs and took a long, hot shower. Pulling on underclothes, I hunted through my clothes. A pair of denim shorts, a tank top and a few streaks of hair dye later, I was ready to start the day.

Following the sound of drums, I found everyone getting warmed up already. I grabbed my twelve-string and tuned up. We practiced for a while before pondering over the song I had written last night. The words were good, but the guitar parts were hell to come up with. After working for an hour to no avail, we decided to call it quits for the day. I ran to the store and picked up food. Knowing the boys, it would be gone by tonight. After getting home, I tossed chicken on the grill, brought my guitar and jammed out while waiting for the food to finish cooking. Once it was done, I brought it inside, made a quick salad and tossed some pineapple on the grill. Then I called the wolverines and served myself a plate. There was silence for a while as everyone ate.

"So...is your Dad coming over?" Josh asked while gnawing on a chicken bone.

"Uh...he should be," I answered. Before I go on, I need to set the record straight about my dad. Yes, he left my mother. Yes, he left his son with my mother. Yes, he did not attempt to contact his son after he left. Despite this, though, he is a great person. He gave me my first guitar at age 4 and taught me how to play it. For as long as I can remember, he was there for me. Not only as my dad, but as my best friend. Shortly after I turned 4, he married Pauline. Not that I call her that. She's just Mom. They had David two years later. Robin was born 5 years ago. They live in San Diego, which is where I grew up. Dad comes down a lot, though. Without him, I doubt The Eagles would of been founded.

After a few hours of ping-pong and Dungeons and Dragons, everyone else turned in. I just hung out for a bit, left alone to my thoughts.

It was so silent. The day always ended this way...just me and the voices in my head. The music of the night surrounded me, just as it always does. So overpowering...maybe I'm going insane. I keep moving to tune the voices out. Always moving...

I stumble to a notepad to get these toxic thoughts out of my head. A half-hour later, I had this scribbled on the paper.

_It's Just Another Day In Paradise _

_As You Stumble To Your Bed _

_You'd Give Anything To Silence _

_Those Voices Ringing In Your Head _

_You Thought You Could Find Happiness _

_Just Over That Green Hill _

_You Thought You Would Be Satisfied _

_But You Never Will- _

_Learn To Be Still _

_We Are Like Sheep Without A Shepherd _

_We Don't Know How To Be Alone _

_So We Wander 'Round This Desert _

_And Wind Up Following The Wrong Gods Home _

_But The Flock Cries Out For Another _

_And They Keep Answering That Bell _

_And One More Starry-Eyed Messiah _

_Meets A Violent Farewell- _

_Learn To Be Still _

_Learn To Be Still _

_Now The Flowers In Your Garden _

_They Don't Smell So Sweet _

_Maybe You've Forgotten _

_The Heaven Lying At Your Feet _

_There Are So Many Contradictions _

_In All These Messages We Send _

_(We Keep Asking) _

_How Do I Get Out Of Here _

_Where Do I Fit In? _

_Though The World Is Torn And Shaken _

_Even If Your Heart Is Breakin' _

_It's Waiting For You To Awaken _

_And Someday You Will- _

_Learn To Be Still _

_Learn To Be Still _

_You Just Keep On Runnin' _

_Keep On Runnin'_

Pleased with my work, I glanced at the clock. 2:00 AM. Bedtime. I collapsed on my bed and entered a dreamless sleep.

**Okay...first chapter DONE. There is this button at the bottom of the screen. It says review on it. Please click it and type something in. And if you feel the need to flame, please do. We do NOT need a Beatles version of My Immortal :-) (If you get that joke, here's a virtual cupcake) I'm going to try to get something out at least every Thursday, even if it's a one-shot. Sooo...BAI!**


	2. Pretty Maids all in a row

**Hello again! I managed to kick the sibs off the computer, so I'm gonna update a day early! Thankyouthankyouthankyou to****FlowerChild17 for reviewing. I loooove your stories so much. When I saw you reviewed, I did a happy dance. No, Josh wasn't based off of Liam. Once you look at it, though, I agree the similarities are creepy :). And thanks to Leaf-the-Muddy-Stormbringer. But she's who Jack is based off of, so best friends don't count. Luv ya, girl! So, without further ado, here's chapter 2!**

**Disclaimer: U recognize it, I don't own it. Especially the italicized lyrics, which belong to Eagles!**

"ALI ALI ALI WAKE UP WAKE UP COME ON PLAY WITH ME PLAY WITH ME!" a voice yelled, yanking me out of my sleeping state.

"Wha?...Robin...what are you doing here?" I groaned, flipping my kid brother off my chest, where he had been bouncing.

"Dad brought me here to surprise you!" Robin chirped, sitting up.

"Well...mission accomplished," I muttered, cracking my neck. "Go downstairs and bug Jack for breakfast or something while I take a shower."

I stumbled into my bathroom and flipped on the water. After grabbing a new scrubbie thingie, (the old one looked REALLY gross) I stepped into the stream of water.

"HOLY CHEESEPUFFS, WHOEVER BROKE THE WATER HEATER IS GOING TO DIE A SLOW, PAINFUL, TRAUMATIZING DEATH!" I screamed, remembering to keep my language clean. I gritted my teeth and scrubbed myself down quickly. My hair took a little longer, but nothing gets you moving faster than a freezing cold shower.

After defrosting, I pulled on short-shorts and a pink tank top. A hesitant knocking sound came from my door.

"Come in!" I yelled, running a brush through my hair. I turned to see Robin sitting in the door.

"Can I see you do your hair? Can I can I can I?" he pleaded. I rolled my eyes and waved him next to me. Robin likes to watch me put my dye in. He grinned as I grabbed a can and shook it. I dyed my bangs and put neon pink streaks in. Pulling the back of my hair into a messy high ponytail, I turned to go downstairs.

"Who broke the water heater?" I snapped as I stomped downstairs. All eyes turned to Casey. If something wrong happened it this house, it was Casey's fault nine times out of ten.

"I may of kinda bumped a water pipe," Casey grinned sheepishly. I gave him my infamous "death glare". Grabbing a flashlight, I went down to find the problem and, sure enough, Casey had busted a pipe. Two hours later, I finished patching it up.

"You suck so bad right now..." I growled as I stalked past Casey to get a root beer from the fridge. One of the caffeinated ones.

My dad walked in with a grin and ruffled my hair with a smile. I gave him a glare but didn't really mean it. David walked in, too. He gave me a half-smile. I wasn't really that close to David right now. Sure, he was my half-brother and all, but he was going through the "I'm a teenager so my family sucks" period. We all were counting the minutes until it was over.

Popping the top of my soda, I groaned, "Could you PLEASE warn me the next time you decide to bring Robin with you to visit?"

He grinned back,"Why? A surprise once in a while doesn't hurt."

"Yes, but I'd like to be able to plan something and make sure Casey didn't break anything," I responded while taking a sip of my drink. Dad just smiled and shook his head. Robin bounded in with Jack following.

"Can we play now?" Jack begged, bouncing around a little. "Please, please pleeeeease?"

"Fine," I conceded. Jack took Robin to the basement while I rounded up the rest of the gang.

15 minutes later, everyone was assembled. I grinned as Drew started a drumbeat. Jack played her baseline and started to sing.

_Hi There, _

_How Are 'Ya? _

_It's Been A Long Time _

_My, But We Learn So Slow _

_And Heroes, They Come _

_And They Go _

_And Leave Us Behind As If _

_We're S'pposed To Know Why _

_Why Do We Give Up Our Hearts To The Past? _

_And Why Must We Grow Up So Fast? _

_And All You Wishing Well Fools _

_With Your Fortunes _

_Someone Should Send You A Rose With _

_Love From A Friend, _

_It's Nice To Here From You _

_Again _

_And The Storybook Comes To A Close _

_Gone Are The Ribbons And Bows _

_Things To Remember Places To Go _

_Pretty Maids All In A Row _

_Oh, Oh Oh, Oh..._

She let the last notes swirl around us like an eon-old spell. No one wanted for it to end. That song was, in my opinion, one of Jack's best. Guitar part sucked, though.

We played some more, and next thing I knew, it was 5:00.

"Okay, dinnertime. Any requests?" I asked as I packed my guitar up.

"Just don't let Casey touch it," Josh muttered as he walked out of the room. Drew and David followed Josh out, so now it was just me, Jack, Robin and Dad. Casey ran in with a grin on his face. I raised an eyebrow at him and took a long gulp of my forgotten root beer.

"WHO PUT PLASTIC WRAP ON THE TOILET SEAT?" Drew bellowed from the other side of the house. I simultaneously spat out and inhaled my drink. Casey and Jack doubled up in laughter as I coughed like mad.

After I could breathe again, I groaned, "You are soooo cleaning that up."

The grin on Casey's face vanished and he ran out of the room.

Half an hour later, I had steak on the grill and Casey in the bathroom with some rags and a huge amount of disinfectant.

"Hey, Ali, are you mad at Casey?" Robin asked me while grabbing my leg.

"I'm always mad at Casey," I said before giving Robin a smile to show I was kidding.

"OH MY GOD, DREW! THIS IS SO GROSS!" echoed through the house.

"CASEY, NONE OF US HAS ANY PITY FOR YOU!" I yelled back. I was positive he was swearing when a thud reverberated through the house.

"OH, CRAP!" Casey yelled. I ran upstairs, greeted by soaking wet carpet. Scared at what I was going to find, I looked into the bathroom. And my jaw dropped. Somehow the idiot had managed to crack the toilet into several pieces.

"Oh. My. God," I gasped, still taking this in. Dad came up behind me and muttered something I was SURE was profane in German.

"Do I even want to know?" Drew asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Probably not..." Casey grinned. I shot him my death glare.

We all went downstairs and ate in silence. What could we say? Casey had just broken a god damn TOILET.

"Ali, where are you guys gonna tinkle now?" Robin broke the silence. By the way he said that, we all knew this had been bothering him for some time.

"Robin, we are going to pee in the bushes now," Josh said, keeping a straight face. See, that's the thing with Josh. He can say just about anything with a straight face. Everyone managed to hold it for five seconds before cracking up.

"Seriously, though, where are we gonna pee?" Drew gasped between breaths. I gave him the it's-not-like-we-don't-have-our-own-bathrooms look. He blushed and stared at the ground.

After the laughter had abated, everyone went to bed for the night. Except me. I camped out on the couch and wrote. Again. Another 2:00 bedtime. Yay.

**Love it? Hate it? Want to hug Casey for breaking a toilet? TELL MEEEE! Again, thanks to everyone who reviewed. BAI!**


	3. Get Over It

**Okay, two chapters out in one day! I'm on a roll! Chapter 4 is ready and will be published tomorrow. AND IT HAS BEATLES! Thanks a gazilloin to The Crazy Violist for reviewing. Again, huge fan ^-^. I promise I won't hurt Ringo TOO much…*starts laughing evily* And I appreciate the warning. As normal, italics are an Eagles song. Soo…TAAA-DAAA**

**Disclaimer: Okay, I admit it. I own the Beatles and the Eagles. Not.**

I woke up with Casey and Robin bouncing on my chest screaming this morning.

"Casey...I am going to hurt you if you don't get off my chest RIGHT NOW," I groaned.

"ALI, WE MADE NUMBER ONE!" Casey yelled in my ear. Oh. My. God. We had made an album these last couple months. It had been released last week. I don't think anyone believed anything would really come of it. Just some extra spending money, maybe. At best. And we just made number one. I joined Casey and Robin in the screaming.

"WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!" I shouted before jumping down the stairs. Jack tackle-glomped me as soon as I hit the floor. After detangling myself from Jack, I did a victory dance before making coffee.

A few hours later, we had sort of stopped celebrating. Sure, someone would randomly start gleefully hugging everyone, but we had gotten over the screaming.

Josh was camped out in Drew's room, staring out the window. I sat next to him and gave him a prod.

"How're you doing?" I asked.

"Okay...It's still sinking in," was Josh's muttered reply.

"You know we're famous now, right?"

"Yeah..."

"They're calling us the next Beatles."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah...have they even listened to our songs?"

"I feel like a failure."

"Excuse me, could you please get out of my room?"

I turned to the door and saw Drew standing there with nothing but a towel on.

"Sorry...leaving now," I grinned before getting up and moving to the living room. Casey plopped next to me on the couch humming something.

"Nice tune...got lyrics?" I asked, grabbing paper.

"Not yet," he responded. Drew sat behind us and flipped the T.V. on. The news blared from the box.

"Jeez, why does everyone have to fight so much?" Drew groaned, flipping it off.

"People need to get over it," Casey agreed.

"Get over it, get over it..." I sang to myself. Casey and I exchanged a grin and grabbed that sheet of paper.

"OI, GUYS! WE HAVE A NEW SONG AND NEED HELP!" I yelled, summoning Jack and Josh an hour later. They ran downstairs and looked at what we had. Drew and I had split some awesome guitar parts and most of the lyrics were done. All we needed was a baseline, a drumbeat and the third verse.

"I'd like to find your inner child and kick it's little ass? That's a bit mean," Jack commented.

"Have you seen the song?" I retorted. She elbowed me and grinned. I smiled back and got to work.

Another hour later, my dad came in as we were finishing up.

"Great timing-we need your opinion on a song," Drew said as he grabbed a guitar. I put on my own. Everyone else got their instruments and Drew let loose this wailing, bad-ass guitar part we both had enjoyed writing. Everyone else started up and Casey began to sing.

_I Turn On The Tube And What Do I See _

_A Whole Lotta People Cryin' 'Don't Blame Me' _

_They Point Their Crooked Little Fingers Ar Everybody Else _

_Spend All Their Time Feelin' Sorry For Themselves _

_Victim Of This, Victim Of That _

_Your Momma's Too Thin; Your Daddy's Too Fat _

_Get Over It _

_Get Over It _

_All This Whinin' And Cryin' And Pitchin' A Fit _

_Get Over It, Get Over It _

_You Say You Haven't Been The Same Since You Had Your Little Crash _

_But You Might Feel Better If I Gave You Some Cash _

_The More I Think About It, Old Billy Was Right _

_Let's Kill All The Lawyers, Kill 'Em Tonight _

_You Don't Want To Work, You Want To Live Like A King _

_But The Big, Bad World Doesn't Owe You A Thing _

_Get Over It _

_Get Over It _

_If You Don't Want To Play, Then You Might As Well Split _

_Get Over It, Get Over It _

_It's Like Going To Confession Every Time I Hear You Speak _

_You're Makin' The Most Of Your Losin' Streak _

_Some Call It Sick, But I Call It Weak _

_You Drag It Around Like A Ball And Chain _

_You Wallow In The Guilt; You Wallow In The Pain _

_You Wave It Like A Flag, You Wear It Like A Crown _

_Got Your Mind In The Gutter, Bringin' Everybody Down _

_Complain About The Present And Blame It On The Past _

_I'd Like To Find Your Inner Child And Kick Its Little Ass _

_Get Over It _

_Get Over It _

_All This Bitchin' And Moanin' And Pitchin' A Fit _

_Get Over It, Get Over It _

_Get Over It _

_Get Over It _

_It's Gotta Stop Sometime, So Why Don't You Quit _

_Get Over It, Get Over It_

Dad was in stitches by the time the song was over.

"That is EXACTLY what the world needs," he got out between gasps for air. I high-fived Casey and grinned.

"In celebration, I vote we eat PIZZA!" I declared. Judging by the cheering, everyone agreed with me. As we were walking out the door, I pulled my dad aside.

"Seeing as we are talking about getting over it, I would like to meet my brother. Could you help me do that?" I asked him. And his nod finished a day that was bordering on perfect.

**Soo…that's chapter 3. NEXT CHAPTER HAS BEATLES IN IT! I will have it out first thing tomorrow, promise. Another note: 115 people have read this story. Yet I have 3 reviews. IT TAKES 30 SECONDS, PEOPLE! Pleeeeese make my day and REVIEW. Luv ya all, bye!**


	4. Heartache Tonight

**As I promised, here's chapter 4. AND THERE'S BEATLES. Oh, and Jack's niece. Be scared. Very scared. Thanks again to FlowerChild17 and The Crazy Violist for reviewing again. I appreciate the encouragement! FlowerChild17 gets virtual cookies for seeing my Queen reference! After I do something good, I start singing the chorus of that song reeeealy loudly. It was something I thought Ali would do. This chapter is fluff, but I promise it won't be smooth sailing. Okay, so…here it is!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned the Eagles of the Beatles, I wouldn't be posting fanfiction about them. What if they FOUND OUT? *shudders***

It had been a week since my dad had sent a letter to John. If he had a received a response, Dad hadn't told me.

I had been woken up bounced on. Again. This time, though, I was jolted awake by Aeriella Higgins, Jack's niece. Aeri is a miniature Jack. She's 6, compact and hyper. As I said, mini jack.

So, now I was camped out on our front porch with a glass of lemonade and a book, hoping Jack and Aeri wouldn't blow up the house. I got up as my dad pulled up to our driveway. Maybe he had news about John!

Dad got out of the car and grinned, saying, "Ali, I would like to introduce you to your brother, John Lennon."

The Beatles then walked out of the car. And I inhaled half my lemonade through my nose.

Sputtering, I managed to make out a greeting of some sort. John gave me an amused look as I got the lemonade out of my nose.

"Nice meeting you," John smirked. I gave him a death glare and tried to regain a shred of dignity. Just then, Casey came screaming out of the back of the house. Everyone looked over there just in time to see Jack and Aeri in hot pursuit screaming "FIENDISH THINGIES!" and waving bras over their heads. Believe me, the look on The Beatles face was PRICELESS.

"You know, I feel like I should be surprised, but I'm not," I observed to my dad, watching as Aeri tackled him and shoving the bra in his face.

"IT BURNS, IT BURNS!" Casey wailed as he rolled to avoid the assault.

"Excuse me," I said to my brother, who was trapped in a state between shocked and laughing. I ran over to the wrestling trio and split them up. Then I returned with Jack.

"Jack, meet Beatles. Beatles, meet Jack," I introduced before grabbing my book and heading inside.

"You're dealing with this well," Dad commented as I washed my glass. I raised an eyebrow.

"I coughed half my drink up my nose. You consider that taking it WELL?"

"Well, you could of taken it worse."

"And do you have a problem with, oh, I dunno, WARNING ME ABOUT THESE THINGS?"

"I wanted to surprise you!"

I rolled my eyes and left the kitchen to find Aeri babbling to my brother.

"Did Dad introduce you to Robin?" I asked. John shook his head and lit a cigarette.

"Please put the stick of death out," I requested. "Robin is our half-brother. Combine Robin and Aeri, you get chaos."

"I'm Paul," John's friend put in. I smiled at him and introduced myself. The rest also put in their names. I called the rest of the crazy nutcases I call band members and we took care of all that introduction stuff. We migrated to the living room. Drew picked up a notepad that had lyrics scribbled on it.

"What's that?" I inquired, peering over his shoulder. He handed me the notepad. I flipped through it and found a whole song. We exchanged looks before high-fiving.

"Can you play it?" Aeri asked, bouncing a little. I glanced at Drew. he nodded. I grabbed my guitar as everyone else got set up. Craning my neck, I looked at the guitar part and started playing. Drew got lyrics this time.

_Somebody's Gonna Hurt Someone _

_Before The Night Is Through _

_Somebody's Gonna Come Undone. _

_There's Nothin' We Can Do. _

_Everybody Wants To Touch Somebody _

_If It Takes All Night. _

_Everybody Wants To Take A Little Chance, _

_Make It Come Out Right. _

_There's Gonna Be A Heartache Tonight, _

_A Heartache Tonight, I Know. _

_There's Gonna Be A Heartache Tonight, I Know. _

_Lord, I Know. _

_Some People Like To Stay Out Late _

_Some Folks Can't Hold Out That Long _

_But Nobody Wants To Go Home Now. _

_There's Too Much Goin' On. _

_This Night Is Gonna Last Forever. _

_Last All, Last All Summer Long. _

_Some Time Before The Sun Comes Up _

_The Radio Is Gonna Play That Song. _

_There's Gonna Be A Heartache Tonight, _

_A Heartache Tonight, I Know. _

_There's Gonna Be A Heartache Tonight, _

_A Heartache Tonight, I Know. _

_Lord I Know. _

_There's Gonna Be A Heartache Tonight, _

_The Moon's Shinin' Bright _

_So Turn Out The Light, And We'll Get It Right. _

_There's Gonna Be A Heartache Tonight, A _

_Heartache Tonight I Know. _

_Heartache Baby, _

_Somebody's Gonna Hurt Someone, (Somebody) _

_Before The Night Is Through _

_Somebody's Gonna Come Undone, _

_There's Nothin' We Can Do _

_(Everybody) Everybody Wants To Touch Somebody _

_If It Takes All Night _

_Everybody Wants To Take A Little Chance _

_To Make It Come Out Right _

_There's Gonna Be A Heartache Tonight _

_A Heartache Tonight, I Know _

_There's Gonna Be A Heartache Tonight, _

_A Heartache Tonight ,I Know _

_Let's Go. _

_We Can Beat Around The Bushes; _

_We Can Get Down To The Bone _

_We Can Leave It In The Parkin' Lot, _

_But Either Way, There's Gonna Be A _

_Heartache Tonight, A Heartache Tonight I Know. _

_There'll Be A Heartache Tonight _

_A Heartache Tonight I Know._

"Keeper," I grinned after the last note faded away. Drew looked very proud of himself. This was the first song he had shown me. George was staring at me, looking quite impressed. I blushed a little.

"Wow...just, wow," John gaped. Drew sat up even taller, if possible. Jack fist-bumped him.

"Another another another!" Aeri yelled, bouncing more. Jack and I exchanged looks and started playing again.

"I'm hungry," Aeri groaned. A glance at the clock showed it was 8:00 already. Jeez, time flies.

Jack picked up Aeri and placed her on the kitchen counter. She handed her a loaf of french bread and a jug of apple juice and proudly said, "Here be food!"

"How about we go out for dinner," I quickly intervened. So we piled into our car (Jack went on the roof rack) and hit the nearest pizza parlor.

After we got our slices, I sat down next to my brother on the deck outside. The view was amazing.

"So...hi," he grinned.

"Hi."

"How's life?"

"I got pizza, soda and you back. Life's good."

"Touched."

I started humming a tune that had been stuck in my head for some time.

"I didn't know you listened to A Hard Day's Night."

"You're my brother. Of course I listened to it."

We sat there, together, watching the sun slowly sink over the Pacific Ocean and I felt like I had found my other half.

**So…if ONE person reviews, it makes my day. When I woke up and found my reviews had DOUBLED, I ran around and did a happy dance. Imagine what would happen if I got up to 10 reviews after this chapter. My heart would explode with happy. It takes under a minute and I know you're there. REVIEW PLEEEEEZE! Enough lecturing, so BYEEEEE!**


	5. Seven Bridges Road

**Hello people! Welcome to chapter 5 of Lost and Found! This chapter took me 2 days to write. Seeing as I can usually sit down and pop these chapters out in under an hour, that's reeealy bad. I kept writing, not liking it and deleting about three-quarters of it. But I like the outcome. Anyway…YAY MORE FLUFF. Also, I'm starting a new story featuring our favorite fab four and the Eagles. Read it pleeeeze! Thanks to The Crazy Violist and FlowerChild17 for reviewing! Yes, I am a hyper one :). Anyroad, here's chapter 5. Sorry it's so short…**

**Disclaimer: Here's a shocker: I don't own the Beatles or the Eagles.**

This morning, I woke up to a mixture of snores. A few of them were unfamiliar. Confused, I walked downstairs and sat on the couch.

"OWWW!" the couch yelled. I quickly stood up and realized I has sat on George.

"Sorry!" I exclaimed, blushing furiously. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and sat up. His moptop was messed up and his shirt was doing weird things. Wait a minute...what was George doing on my couch?

"Who's hurt?" a voice groaned from the door. I turned in time to see John get wiped out by Drew, who had apparently run downstairs and slipped on our wooden flooring. Oh yeah...Dad had brought John over yesterday with his band. So now my brother was being crushed by Drew.

I ran over to help them up. Jack and Casey were cracking up. Paul and Ringo then stumbled downstairs and promptly tripped on us.

"Okay, everyone STOP!" my Dad yelled. He must of been woken up by all of the thudding and screaming. With some help, we all got untangled and off the floor.

"Well...we need to clean the floor," I commented, looking at some questionable sticky stuff on my arm. Paul took a look at it and turned green. I shook my head, called him a wuss and went upstairs to take a shower.

15 minutes later, I came back downstairs dressed and clean. Jack ran up to me in a swimsuit.

"BEACH TRIP, CANWECANWECANWE?" she begged, bouncing. After I nodded, Jack ran upstairs and screamed something about spray paint and squirrels. John gave me a scared look. I returned it and went upstairs again to put on something waterproof.

Well, after half an hour of swimsuit-hunting, food-finding, Jack-herding and swearing, we got out of the house and to the beach. Seeing as that literally is our backyard, that wasn't that much of an accomplishment, but still. I set a blanket down, placed my 6-string on top of it and grabbed a root beer.

Just as I was sitting down, Casey soaked me with a bucket of water. He went running off.

As I chased after him, I yelled, "You got one DROP of water on my guitar and I will KILL you!" He just laughed and plowed into the ocean I followed and tackled him. I'm pretty sure it was Casey who started the splash-war...pretty soon everyone had joined in.

"Owww...salt water in the eye..." George groaned before trudging out of the ocean. I joined him.

"You okay?" I asked, tossing him a soda.

He nodded and popped the top of the drink.

"Did you know Coke used to have cocaine in it?" I randomly commented. George looked at the can of the drink he was drinking and spat out the mouthful he had just taken. Probably shouldn't of handed him that soda...whoops.

"What?" he yelped. I smirked at his face before explaining that they had gotten rid of it once people realized how dangerous cocaine was. He flushed bright red and drank some more pop.

We somehow got from coke to guitars, so that kept us occupied until everyone else got bored of screwing around in the ocean.

The rest of the afternoon was spent swimming, sleeping, eating and making the world's most epic sand castle. By some miracle, no one noticed the 4 pale boys hanging out with the Eagles were actually the Beatles.

As the sun was starting to set, I went back to the house to get hot dogs, s'mores-making materials and flammable stuff. We dragged some driftwood together and lit a fire. Everyone grabbed a stick and we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. I grabbed my guitar. Drew followed suit. Grinning, I played a chord. The rest of the band paused for a few seconds before we all started to sing.

_There Are Stars _

_In The Southern Sky _

_Southward As You Go _

_There Is Moonlight _

_And Moss In The Trees _

_Down The Seven Bridges Road _

_Now I Have Loved You Like A Baby _

_Like Some Lonesome Child _

_And I Have Loved You In A Tame Way _

_And I Have Loved You Wild _

_Sometimes There's A Part Of Me _

_Has To Turn Form Here And Go _

_Running Like A Child From These Warm Stars _

_Down The Seven Bridges Road _

_There Are Stars In The Southern Sky _

_And If Ever You Decide _

_You Should Go _

_There Is A Taste Of Time Sweetened Honey _

_Down The Seven Bridges Road_

As we finished, I leaned back and was surprised to feel George's arm looped around my waist. I glanced at him and we both blushed, but he didn't move his arm. But that's not the weird part. The weird part was that I didn't mind.

**ALI HAS A CRUSH! And the Coke thing is true…I googled it. Oh, I don't own that either. Forgot to say that. DON'T SUE ME! Oh, and people-button on bottom of screen. Click it. Tell me what you thought. I know you're reading! So, read my story. I'll hopefully have the first chapter up later today. Bye**


	6. The Sad Café

**Okay, I'm sooo sorry for not updating sooner. Damned writers block and camp got in the way. I tried posting a sequel to this, but it SUCKED so I took it down. It was just THAT bad. I'm going to try to update by tomorrow. Key word being try. I also learned how to make polls recently. I've got two going and would appreciate a bit of help. Many hugs to Ash, FlowerChild17 and The Crazy Violaist for reviewing. It makes my week. So, anyway, here it is!**

**Disclaimer: People, this is the sixth chapter here. If you haven't gotten that I don't own the Beatles or the Eagles by now...**

The Beatles stayed for a few more days with little incident. AKA the house didn't blow up, there weren't any trips to the ER and no one died. As I said, little incident.

Well, three months passed. The Eagles are releasing singles that are alternating with the Beatles for the top of the charts. A new album is on the way. Everything is going better than I had ever dared to dream.

Now, I was doing something even more important than making number one singles. I was going to get on a plane and stay in England with my brother for a few months.

And, two horrible, long trips on that unholy tin can of DEATH later, I got to London in one piece. Which, as far as I'm concerned, is a bloody miracle.

"ALI!" I heard as I got off the plane for the last time, THANK GOD. Turning quickly, I saw John right before he grabbed me into a bone-crushing hug.

"Hey! Where are the other three?" I asked, looking around.

"And by the other three, you mean George," John replied, releasing me and grabbing my bag. I blushed and gave him a glare. The worst part was that he was right. These last couple months had made me realize I was completely head-over-heals for this guy. How much of this was just a crush, though, was yet to be determined.

"He hasn't shut up about you since we went home," John continued as we stepped into the baggage claim. So George might have feelings for me too. It took all my willpower to not do a happy dance in the terminal. John and I caught up during the drive to his house. His son was 20 months old and, by the pictures I had seen (we kept in touch), was adorable.

I was starting to tell him about the Halloween prank Jack and Casey had pulled involving some ketchup packs, a swim floatie and an unfortunate duck when we pulled up to his house.

"Wow..." I gasped. His house was freaking HUGE. Like, three stories at least. Complete with a crap-load of screaming fangirls. John opened the gates and quickly drove through the horde.

I stretched as I got out of the car. Sitting in an airplane for 11 hours did nothing for your back. Hearing footsteps, I turned around to see a toddler shyly standing in the doorway. I walked over and got on one knee.

"Hey there...who might you be?" I grinned. He smiled a little and squirmed slightly.

"Julian," he whispered, still eyeing me a little distrustfully. He didn't seem to like my hair, now streaked blue, that much.

"Hi Julian. I'm your Auntie Ali!" I chirped before picking him up, much to his surprise and delight. Julian giggled and hung onto my neck.

"Auntie color?" he asked as I set him down.

"Can I get unpacked first?" I questioned back. He blushed a little and nodded. I smiled and ruffled his hair. A blonde woman stepped from behind a door and smiled at me.

"Hi. I'm Cynthia. You must be Alihandria," she smiled.

"Ali's just fine," I grinned back. Cynthia took me to the room I was going to be staying in. She then left me to unpack. I was unpacking my acoustic when I heard a knock at the door.

"Come in!" I yelled. I turned to see Julian at the door. He looked a bit like robin when he was littler. Smiling a little, he looked at my guitar.

"Auntie play?" he inquired. His face lit up when I nodded. I gestured for him to sit next to me as I grabbed my 12-string. And the smile on his face lit the room up when I started to play.

_Out In The Shiny Night, The Rain _

_Was Softly Falling _

_The Tracks That Ran Down The Boulevard Had _

_All Been Washed Away _

_Out Of The Silver Light, The Past Came Softly Calling _

_And I Remember The Times We Spent _

_Inside The Sad Cafe _

_Oh, It Seemed Like A Holy Place, _

_Protected By Amazing Grace _

_And We Would Sing Right Out Loud, The _

_Things We Could Not Say _

_We Thought We Could Change This World _

_With Words Like 'Love' And 'Freedom' _

_We Were Part Of The Lonely Crowd _

_Inside The Sad Cafe _

_Oh, Expecting To Fly, _

_We Would Meet On That Shore In The _

_Sweet By And By _

_Some Of Their Dreams Came True, _

_Some Just Passed Away _

_And Some Of The Stayed Behind _

_Inside The Sad Cafe. _

_The Clouds Rolled In And Hid That Shore _

_Now That Glory Train, It Don't Stop Here No More _

_Now I Look At The Years Gone By, _

_And Wonder At The Powers That Be. _

_I Don't Know Why Fortune Smiles On Some _

_And Let's The Rest Go Free _

_Maybe The Time Has Drawn The Faces I Recall _

_But Things In This Life Change Very Slowly, _

_If They Ever Change At All _

_There's No Use In Asking Why, _

_It Just Turned Out That Way _

_So Meet Me At Midnight Baby _

_Inside The Sad Cafe. _

_Why Don't You Meet Me At Midnight Baby, _

_Inside The Sad Cafe._

I had written it on the flight to London. John smiled from the door as Julian grinned and bounced up and down.

"Again?" Julian asked, looking up at me with hopeful eyes. I laughed. He was so much like Robin.

"Maybe later. How about we draw now?" I smiled. Julian grinned, grabbed my hand and took me to his crayons.

A half hour flew by. There was a knocking on the door and, a minute later, Paul walked into the room.

"Uncle Paulie!" Julian squealed, running over and hugging the Beatle. I stood up too as Ringo walked in as well. George stayed by the door, looking at me from under the hat he was wearing. Ringo grinned at me and crushed me in a hug. Laughing, I hugged him back. During the week the Beatles were in America, I came to love Ringo like a brother. It was great to see him again.

Breaking the hug, I looked at George again. He smiled and walked over to me.

"Hello, Ali."

"Hi, George."

"How are you?"

"Tired. Freaking long plane flight..."

"Yeah. Traveling sucks."

I nodded in agreement and rubbed my forehead. Boy, that's gonna be one hell of a migraine in the morning. George gave me a concerned look.

"You okay?" he whispered, leaning over close enough that I could smell the cigarette smoke on his breath.

"I already told you. I'm just a bit tired...don't worry," I smiled, painfully aware of how close his hand was to mine. We looked at each other again.

"Hey, Ali!" Paul exclaimed, wrecking the moment. I smiled at him and gave him a hug while mentally cursing him. Leave it to Paul to ruin it...he had practically followed me and George around for the entire trip.

Apparently the guys were staying for dinner. I escaped to the kitchen to give Cynthia a hand, assuring her that I helped make dinner all the time.

"So, what's with you and George?" Cynthia smirked as she stirred some spaghetti. I turned as red as the sauce I was simmering. Which is pretty darn red.

"Nothing," I stammered out, suddenly shy. She laughed and winked at me.

"I won't tell anyone, promise."

"Thanks, Cyn."

I hunted down Julian and got him in his high chair and eating. Quickly, I served myself some of the spaghetti we had made and collapsed on the couch next to John. Overloading my fork, I managed to cram about half my bowl into my mouth. John glanced at me and started laughing.

"Wha? It's good," I mumbled between mouthfuls of pasta.

"That hungry, huh?" John grinned back.

"You have NO idea. Airplane food sucks," I responded before getting up to get a second serving. Upon going back to my seat, I found John replaced by George. Suddenly, I was very aware of the pasta sauce that was probably all over my face.

We all ate in relative silence for a few minutes, until George asked,"So, Ali, how do you manage to get spaghetti on your forehead?"

Everyone else cracked up while I blushed furiously, wiping at the offending area. That broke the ice, though. We all talked and, next thing we knew, it was 10:00 and time for Paul, Ringo and George to go home. Cynthia disappeared someplace as John walked Paul and Ringo out, leaving me alone with George.

"Well, I'd better get going," George said as he got up. I rose as well.

"Goodnight," I smiled, giving him a hug. George stroked my hair as he pulled me closer to him. One thing led to another, and, next thing I knew, George's lips were on mine.

"FINALLY!" John yelled from the doorway, breaking up our kiss. If looks could kill, John would be a pile of ash right then. George quickly excused himself and I went up to bed.

I remember thinking,"So THIS is what being on cloud nine feels like," as I drifted off to happy, George-filled dreams.

**YAY ALI GOT A BOYFRIEND! *does happy dance* Anyroad, REVIEW PEOPLE! PLEEEEESE PLEEEEESE PLEEEEESE! Love you all, vote on my poll, bye**


	7. All Night Laundromat Blues

**Yes, this is late. Sorry, people. I got new art supplies *does happy dance* and totally forgot about this chapter. But it's here. Yay! Anywho, this is sibling fluff between John and Ali. Oh, and more Julian. No Paul, George and Ringo, though :(. Thanks to FlowerChild17, The Crazy Violist and Leaf_The_Muddy_Stormbringer for reviewing. (Even though Leaf don't count love ya!) So, without further ado, here be chapter 7!**

**Disclaimer: GOD DAMN IT I DON'T OWN THE EAGLES OR THE BEATLES STOP RUBBING IT IN AND LET ME GET ON WITH THE STORY!**

I woke up the next moment with my head pounding. When I tried to sit up, I felt a wave of nausea hit me. My nose was stuffed up and I felt achey.

"Damn it," I groaned as I flopped down onto my pillow. Julian came bounding in.

"Auntie Auntie will you play with me?" he grinned as he hopped on my bed.

"Julian, could you please get you dad?" I muttered into my pillow. His eyes got big and he nodded. A few minutes later John walked into the room.

"Jeez...you don't look so good," John worried, frowning when I started coughing.

"Damn flu...someone sneezed on me on the plane," I muttered, trying to sit up again. "Oh, god."

I doubled over and John grabbed a trash can in time to keep me spewing my dinner all over the sheets. His face was white as he held me steady.

"That bad, huh?"

I gave him a look as I got my hair out of my face. John made a face and I figured I wasn't looking too good right now.

"Can I take a shower?" I croaked, stumbling out of bed. He nodded and got me a towel and instructions to yell if I needed any help. I silently swore to call for help when pigs flew over a frozen hell.

Somehow, I managed to shower with minimal retching. Staggering, I got back to my room and into my comfy sweats. No hair dye today.

"Okay, that's weird," John commented from the door.

"What?" I asked, looking at my shirt to see if I had puked again or something.

"No dye," he grinned, walking into the room. I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms. Just then, Cynthia walked in.

"Are you alright?" she asked, worry evident in her eyes. I looked at her and she grinned. "Okay, stupid question."

"I'm gonna take a day off," John muttered as he left the room. Cynthia said something about laundry and left too. Just then, Julian walked in.

"You angry at me?" he asked, staying by the door.

"No, of course not. I'm just feeling bad and don't want to get you sick. Don't worry," I reassured the young boy. He started towards me, but I stopped him. "Jules, I love you. I don't want to throw up on you. Please stay back."

"Stay?" Julian asked. I smiled and nodded. He sat down on the floor and looked at me.

"So, what's your favorite color?" I inquired, propping myself up on pillows. He responded red. I proceeded to tell him about the time Casey and I had dyed the water in all the toilets red.

"And it stayed that way for a month!" I finished. Julian was giggling like crazy. Just then, John walked back in.

"Whatcha talking about?" he grinned as he plopped on the bed. I gave him a look and he quickly got up.

"I'm corrupting your child with tales from my youth," I laughed, leaning back.

"Really? Well, what did you do?" John asked.

"Dyed all the toilets in the house red," I smirked.

"They stayed that way for a MONTH!" Julian added. We all cracked up again. I launched right into another story, this one involving a police box and the roof of MIT. (SERIOUSLY HAPPENED!)

We got caught up in all the stupid things we did when we were younger and talked until lunchtime, when Julian had to go eat. I tried to eat some soup, but puked it back up, curse my life. After lunch, Julian came back, I got cleaned up and John brought me my guitar.

"Song?" Julian asked. I grinned and opened my mouth, strumming a simple melody.

_I got the all night Laundry Mat blues_

_Washing everything I own except my shoes_

_I got makeup round the collar_

_And it smells like sweat_

_A dollar in the drier_

_And it ain't dry yet_

_If you wear clothes, you got to pay the dues_

_Sing the all night Laundry Mat blues_

_Yes you do_

_Sing the all night Laundry Mat blues_

John cracked up and Julian looked a bit confused. We started a competition to see who could write the funniest song. Next thing we know, it's Julian's nap time.

"I haven't laughed that hard in a long time," John grinned, holding his sides. I smiled back and strummed the guitar aimlessly.

"What's Pauline like?" John suddenly asked, suddenly serious.

"She's awesome. As long as I can remember, she's been my Mom," I answered slowly.

"But she was never your mother," John finished. I nodded.

"I love Pauline and she loves me. I've never felt excluded because I'm not hers. But I'd like to meet the woman who gave birth to me. What was she like?"

"Amazing...so full of life. She wasn't like my mom...more like my best friend. When she died..." John looked almost lost as he drifted off. I set my hand on his shoulder.

"But you have me," I smiled. "Oh, man, I'm gonna puke."

"We are being sappy, aren't we?"

"No, I'm gonna puke."

And I threw up on John. We are officially siblings now. Once you puke on someone, they're family. I explained that after John changed his shirt and stopped swearing.

I passed out and slept for the rest of the night. And for most of the next day. Thankfully, when I got up, the nausea went away. After getting solid food down, I collapsed and slept some more.

**Yes, Ali puked on John…I suck. ):-) Soo… I have 500 hits. And 14 reviews. DO THE MATH PEOPLES! Reviewing makes me want to get these out faster, so the more review, the more story you get. SO REVIEW, GOSH DARN IT! Love you all, bye!**


	8. Alphabetical Order

**Hello, my lovelies…okay, that was stalkerish. Let's try again: HELLO PEOPLES! Much better…Anyway, I'm happy today because of two reasons… #1: I GOT TWENTY REVIEWS! THANK YOU PEOPLES SOOO MUCH. #2: Martha John's Dear, AKA The Crazy Violist (I seriously JUST learned that isn't your account name. I fail) beta-ed this chapter. Thanks to her, this story just got a billion times better. Thanks sooo much.**

**Okay, I'm gonna split this up to talk about something a bit more serious. An anonymous reviewer quoted the Rule Of Death. There aren't supposed to be any stories about real people on this site. Normally, I'd just say whatever and get on with my life but two people commented about it. I just wanted to say that this person is correct and has the right to post it on whatever story he/she wants to. When I started this story, I knew the risk. What he/she said is simply fact and I would prefer people not dinging him/her, although I appreciate the sentiment.**

**Also, I got anonymous reviews besides the person stated above. I like to personally thank all of the great people who give me feedback, so I'd appreciate it if you could put a name down. Yes, I'm being picky but I'd really like to thank you personally.**

**As always, FlowerChild17, The Crazy Violist and several unnamed but no less appreciated people get a hug from Ringo for reviewing. So…here it is!**

**Disclaimer: I own a Beatles and an Eagles CD…does that count?**

Well, a week passed and I got cabin fever. Massive cabin fever. As in, shoot me and end this torment cabin fever. Finally, thank _god_, John declared me okay to leave the house. I practically trampled him to get to the door.

After John pointed out that it is frowned upon to run through the streets in a tank top and boxers, though, I decided to shower first. So, half an hour later, a dyed up, hyper Alihandria Lennon was unleashed on unsuspecting London.

"CAN WE GO TO EMI CAN WE CAN WE CAN WE?" I yelled, bouncing around a bit. John should have known better than to stop by a coffee shop as we were walking around. He nodded, looking slightly scared at how much I was channeling Jack.

After crossing Abbey Road, we entered the studio. At first look, EMI wasn't much to look at...a simple white building with modest black railings. Upon walking inside, though, I felt like I had fallen into heaven. They had real, professionally-made _sound boards. _Before you judge me, remember I hand-made all the equipment we record on without actually setting eyes on the stuff it was based on. I ran over to the nearest one and started firing questions at the nearest technician. He looked kind of scared but answered politely enough. John finally dragged me away and took me to the studio where the other three were working.

"Hello!" I grinned as I bounded into the studio. I looked around. It was obvious four guys recorded here. Dump doesn't do it justice. And I thought Casey was bad...

"Well, you're looking better," Paul commented as I plopped down crisscross applesauce and grabbed a guitar. John opened his mouth an then closed it, so I figured he didn't mind if I used it.

"Uh-huh," I exclaimed as I played a chord. George grinned and sat down next to me. I smiled at him and started picking out a melody. He raised an eyebrow at me and I made up a song on the spot.

_! _

_A A _

_Triple A! _

_(Triple A?) _

_A! A! A! _

_U can B 1 _

_U ca _

_2 B or not 2 B _

_C? _

_AB _

_ABC R fun. _

_A! _

_Alphabetical order. _

_Here we go... _

_UFO on LSD _

_R2D2, C3P0, how 'bout ET? _

_ABC, BBC, CBN, NBC. _

_MTV, VH1, HBO, CNN. _

_SCTV, SAT. _

_Degree? BA, BN, BS, A! How about BAC? A! _

_Alphabetical order. _

_A! A! A! _

_Alphabetical order, from A to Z _

_Alphabetical order, its E Z _

_EWI, MAED, BAR, A! ERA. _

_PMS, IUD, VD, HIV, R U 1 2? R O! _

_DNA, SnM, CLC, ILBT, X! _

_Alphabetical order, from A to Z _

_Alphabetical order, its E Z. _

_A! CIA, KGB, FBI, IRN, TRW _

_IOU, CPA, SOS, A! _

_1 W not 2! _

_W 3D, ORH, EIEIO. _

_IOC, PS, NESTLES, ROLAIDS, RESPECT _

_MICKEY Y? Y? Because we like U. _

_USA! A! _

_Alphabetical order!_

The guys were all cracking up...Man, I hate being crammed in a house for a week. So I get my energy out by screwing around with songs.

"What?" Ringo gasped as he was doubled over in laughter.

"Don't try to work out my brain. You'll just hurt yourself," I laughed.

Our hysteria slowly diminished into giggles. Until someone would quote the song and the laughter would start all over again. It took half an hour to get our giggles out.

"I'm hungry," George complained as he put his arm around me. Several eyebrows rose at this.

"You're always hungry," John commented. Without missing a beat, everybody else agreed. George gave John a death glare.

Just then, Mal, bless him, came in with food.

"OOH...SAMMICHES!" I yelled before grabbing one.

"Sammiches?" Paul asked, holding back laughter.

"Yes, sammiches," I responded through my mouthful of food.

"Its sandwich. Sand. Wich," George said slowly.

"Samm. Ich," I repeated. George facepalmed and gave up. I grinned and finished my food.

"You know, I thought is was physically impossible for there to be someone who eats more than George. I was wrong," Ringo commented as I reached for another. I punched him in the arm lightly as I started eating again.

"You two are made for each other," John laughed as George went back for seconds. "But seriously, break her heart and I break your face. Goes for you too."

I nodded seriously. Ringo then said something weird and made me spray the back of Paul's neck with half-chewed food.

"OHMYGODEWWWWWW!" Paul screamed as he wiped feverishly at his neck.

"Sorry!" I yelled through my laughter.

"It's not funny..." Paul grumped as he sat back down.

"Actually, it kinda is," John teased. "Admit it, Macca. You just got owned."

Paul went back to sulking. After everyone finished their food, I left so they could get some work done. Whistling, I walked home to play with Julian.

"Auntie, can we get ice cream?" Julian asked as we were coloring. I glanced at the clock: 4:00. It would probably ruin his appetite. Aww, screw it.

"Sure, Jules," I grinned as we got up to get coats. We walked to the nearest ice cream parlor. It was a quaint little place with red stools and people in those awesome paper hat thingies. Julian and I both got chocolate with rainbow sprinkles.

"Thank you," Julian smiled as we walked home with our ice cream.

"No problem. Just don't tell your mom," I responded, ruffling his hair. He laughed and bit off about half of his cone. We walked around for a bit while finishing our ice cream and went home.

"Where were you?" John asked from the table. I was suddenly really happy I had the foresight to clean Julian's face off. Jules ran off to play and John leaned forward. "More to the point, why do you have chocolate all over your face?"

"Crap!" I hissed, cleaning my face off. John started laughing.

"Don't worry; your secret is safe with me," He smiled. I grinned back and elbowed him as I sat down.

"Hey, Ali. You got mail." Cynthia said as she walked into the kitchen. I grabbed and opened the letter.

"Oh shoot! I've been here a week and haven't written at all," I groaned. I flipped open the letter and read it.

_Hey Ali! Guess you've been too busy to write us, which means you're either sick, dead or having a crap-load of fun. We're all hoping for #3. Casey's been unmanageable without you here. He sticky-noted your room yesterday. We're leaving it for you to clean up when you get home. Love ya!_

_Anyway, we got fan mail yesterday. A whole load of it. The postman almost broke his back getting it to us...we're scared. THEY KNOW WHERE WE LIVE!_

_Robin misses you a lot. So does David, but he'll never admit it. So we're guilting you into writing. That or your dead. WRITE BACK, GODDAMMIT!_

_Lots-o-luv_

Drew Casey **Jack **Josh

"Okay, I need to write back," I muttered, grabbing a piece of paper and scrawling something out. John and I went to post it and pick up dinner. And, as I was lying in bed at 12:00 AM, (early by my standards) I realized I actually _missed_ Casey's antics. And Jack bouncing me up every morning. And Drew's experimental guitar riffs at unholy hours. And Josh's, well...gothness. I realized I _really _missed my bandmates. I missed my _family_. Silently, I vowed the next time I came to England, I sure as hell wouldn't be alone.

**Yay Ali angst! You people should know by now that I love reviews. Those 3 people stepped up…so can you! Thank you all for reading. BYEEEEE!**


	9. Boys of Summer

**Oh my god. I'm horrible. It's been, like, a week since I updated this. I suck. SORRY! So, to make up for it, you get the longest chapter to date. Which I'm proud of. Also, I started and posted a new story. If you have a few minutes, look up Running please! Okay, enough shameless self-promotion. Many thanks and Ringo-hugs to FlowerChild17, The Crazy Violist and an unnamed person who is still awesomesauce.**

**Disclaimer: Guess what! Don't own the Beatles or the Eagles. Shocker, isn't it...**

I stayed in London for a few more days before going home. You could say I got homesick. Believe me, though, the _instant_ I got home I wanted to get on the next plane back. The fact that Casey sticky-noted my room didn't help.

A few more months passed, we worked on a new record, I kept up a long-distance relationship with George, Jack and Casey almost blew up the house twice...normal stuff.

I was woken up the morning of July 4th by Jack bouncing on me while screaming that she made crepes and if I didn't get my arse out of bed, I wouldn't get any. So I dragged myself downstairs, ate food and took a shower. The 4th of July is my favorite holiday for a couple of reasons: I get to be a complete pyromaniac for the day. See, we go to the beach and walk about a mile. There's no buildings there, so we get to do pretty much whatever the hell we want to. Be scared. Very scared...

Also, we get food. Lots of food. And sugar. So we're _hyper_ as we're launching bottle rockets. My family comes down too, so we basically have a massive party with music and a campfire. Then we explode stuff. Good times, good times...

Lastly, I get to wear my 4th of July stuff. Now, most people wear a red t-shirt and call that patriotic. Not me. I do the hair, the shoes, the shirt...everything. This year was no exception.

"Holy crap..." Drew gasped as I walked downstairs. "No wonder it took you an hour and a half to get dressed."

My hair was streaked red, white and blue to the point you couldn't see my natural color, the flip-flops I was wearing were striped the same colors and my shirt had a big american flag all over my chest. The only thing non-patriotic on me was my denim short-shorts.

"What explosives have we got?" I asked Jack, who was the pyrotechnics expert. She grinned and gestured to the unholily large pile of fireworks. We would save all year to get fireworks when we were in college. And every year Jack would try to outdo herself. But this year she _really_ went for it.

I shook my head and grabbed a couple boxes of sparklers and some electrical tape.

"Whatcha doin?" Josh grinned as he plopped down next to me.

"An experiment. Do we still have that old dryer?" I asked Casey, who had just walked into the room. He nodded and I grinned evilly. Just then, my family rang the doorbell.

"Mom! Dad!" I yelled as I opened the door, already hugging the crap out of the nearest person. Wait a minute...Dad didn't have brown hair.

"I'm glad to see you too, Ali, but is it really necessary to throttle me?" Ringo gasped. I released him to find the other three holding back laughter. I glomped John and Paul, saving George for last. He just smiled and kissed me. Just then, my family drove up.

"Mom! Dad!" I yelled again before hugging my parents. I know, I know...Pauline isn't technically my mother. But she's as good as. Robin hopped out of his seat and jumped up at me. Stooping down, I picked the little munchkin up. David slouched out of the car and shut the door.

"Davie!" I yelled, giving him a hug. His eyes got big and he went really stiff. It's my joy in life to torment him as much as possible.

"Don't call me Davie..." he mumbled while extracting himself from my grasp. I grinned at him and he sulked off to do his teenage stuff.

"AERI!" Jack screamed from the door. Oh, god..._Aeri. _With explosives...

_ "_We're doomed," I muttered to John, who looked absolutely _terrified _at the thought_. _We trained him well.

After feeding everyone, I helped Jack load our car up with fireworks while everyone else got picnic supplies, instruments, ect. I drove the car to the site while everyone else had to walk.

The beach we went to had a road leading up to it, not that anyone actually went here. Leading off of the road (it dead-ends) is a massive, 100-by-50 hunk-o-pavement. Read: _Firework bomb zone. _There's also a smaller, 25-foot square that looks like it was once used for a helicopter launch pad or something. And this all comes on beautiful, deserted beach with pristine, blue water.

We set up a drum kit on the smaller piece of pavement and set our guitars over there. Other people also began to filter in. See, after the third year of our doing this, people began to notice the people blasting mortars at three in the morning. So people started to come too. Our earliest gigs had been here, but now it had evolved to an outdoor concert, barbecue and fireworks show. Even the cops would sneak over here to light off a couple mortars they had confiscated from the people stupid enough to light them off buildings, at people, ect.

Around three, we started tuning up. People pulled chairs over to where we were. Everyone was hoping to get a performance from two bands this year.

"Guests first," I grinned to John, gesturing to the makeshift stage. The Beatles ran over to their instruments and tore into I Saw Her Standing There. I was tapping my foot to Twist and Shout when my dad walked over.

"They're good," he commented. I nodded and applauded when they finished. "Go get 'em!"

I flashed him a thumbs-up and got on the stage. Josh started a beat. My chord reverberated through the crowd. Another one, then Casey stepping up and adding lyrics.

_Nobody on the road_

_Nobody on the beach_

_I feel it in the air_

_The summer's out of reach_

_Empty lake, empty streets_

_The sun goes down alone_

_I'm driving by your house_

_Though I know you're not home_

_But I can see you-_

_Your brown skin shinin' in the sun_

_You got your hair combed back and your sunglasses on, baby_

_And I can tell you my love for you will still be strong_

_After the boys of summer have gone_

_I never will forget those nights_

_I wonder if it was a dream_

_Remember how you made me crazy?_

_Remember how I made you scream_

_Now I don't understand what happened to our love_

_But babe, I'm gonna get you back_

_I'm gonna show you what I'm made of_

_I can see you-_

_Your brown skin shinin' in the sun_

_I see you walking real slow and you're smilin' at everyone_

_I can tell you my love for you will still be strong_

_After the boys of summer have gone_

_Out on the road today, I saw a DEADHEAD sticker on a Cadillac_

_A little voice inside my head said, "Don't look back. You can never look back"_

_I thought I knew what love was_

_What did I know?_

_Those days are gone forever_

_I should just let them go but-_

_I can see you-_

_Your brown skin shinin' in the sun_

_You got that top pulled down and that radio on, baby_

_And I can tell you my love for you will still be strong_

_After the boys of summer have gone_

_I can see you-_

_Your brown skin shinin' in the sun_

_You got that hair slicked back and those Wayfarers on, baby_

_I can tell you my love for you will still be strong_

_After the boys of summer have gone_

After that song drifted into memory, we launched into Get Over It. I'm proud to say that song hit the top of the charts in both America and Britain. Until the censorship people got their hands on it and banned it almost immediately. I am _proud _of that song.

Pretty Maids in a Row followed. We finished with Heartache Tonight. Heartache Tonight also hit top of the charts and stayed there until outed by I Feel Fine 5 weeks later. Which, honestly, I was fine with. The beauty of our relationship between us and The Beatles is that we're competitive but respectful. Between us and the Stones, you have the top 20. At least, that's what we joke.

Well, we were cheered offstage. Then I went to steal a bite to eat and catch up with my brother.

"George's been acting weird lately," John randomly commented. I gave him a look.

"What?"

"He's been going out on his own a lot...it's a bit weird, to be honest. I wrote it off as him missing you."

"That's sweet..."

"Well, his "sweetness" has us a bit worried. Moping around can't be good for him."

"True."

"I dunno...maybe it's his way of getting away from it all."

"What do you mean?"

"It just gets a bit overwhelming sometimes...you wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

"You don't have crazy birds chasing you everywhere you go."

"Thank god."

"Yeah, well we do. I think George might find it easiest to, you know, get all have to get out somehow."

"That made absolutly no sense."

"I said you wouldn't get it..."

"Oh, shut up."

Well, mental note: Talk to George. I screwed around a bit and, before we knew it, it was getting dark.

"Well, you guys ready?" I grinned to Jack and Casey, who got up and grabbed a box filled with various explosives. Snagging a megaphone, I strode to the place where we would be lighting.

Pushing down the button on the megaphone, I yelled, "CAN I PLEASE HAVE YOUR ATTENTION!"

Smiling at the silence this caused, I motioned for Jack and Casey to join me.

"Thank you. Now, this is the Fourth of July. Which means we will be lighting fireworks tonight. And as much fun as this holiday is, it's also prime time for idiots to blast us off the face of this earth. To prevent this, we have a couple ground rules," I said into the megaphone, pausing for effect.

"Everyone MUST, I will repeat MUST wear glow-in-the-dark necklaces, bracelets, ect. I don't care if you are lighting or not...if we can't see you, we may blast the crap out of you. That would be bad," I continued before reaching into the box.

"This is a bottle bomb. These are made by cutting open a firework, removing the powder and inserting the powder into a bottle. These things are dangerous. If you make or set off a bottle bomb, I will personally kick you out. In fact, if you bring homemade fireworks without a permit, I will kick you out too," I warned before putting the bomb back.

"Short of that, though, have fun and happy fourth!" I finished with a smile. Then I grabbed a groundhog, lit it and rolled the sucker away from us. People got up and started lighting stuff off. I went over to our car and got started too.

The night was filled with explosions, smoke and bottle rockets. Our grande finale consisted of us sticking a sparkler bomb in a dryer at 4:00 AM to see what would happen. We found smoldering pieces of metal 50 feet away from the blast zone. Sweet, to say the least. We all then helped clean up, went home and passed out.

**Well, the calm before the storm…next chapter will contain much drama. So, review and you get a Ringo-hug and a cupcake. Don't review and Aeri will hunt you down…be scared. Be very scared…BYE!**


	10. Made Your Mind Up

**I'm sorry.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it**

"Bye, John," I smiled sadly. I was going to miss my brother, arse though he could be. Ringo came next. I really love that guy. Like a brother, of course. Then Paul. Honestly, I don't know what he is to me. George came last.

"Bye, Ali," he whispered as he gave me a hug. I reached up to pull him into a kiss only to find he had already left. _What?_ I don't mean to be clingy, but _what?_

So I stood there as George walked down the concourse, looking as though he had just made his mind up about something.

A few more months, a few new number one singles, a few more ER trips...the norm.

I was messing around with some chords in my room when the doorbell rang.

"I gots it!" Jack yelled before opening the door. "Hi, Ali's Dad!"

"Daddy!" I laughed before jumping down the stairs and hugging him.

"Hey, Ali. How do you feel about taking your band to see England?"

Well, of course we wanted to go. And of course Dad wanted to not tell John we were coming. And, honestly, after all the unwelcome surprises John gave me, I didn't feel much guilt about returning the favor.

"Oh, how I hate airplanes," I groaned as I took my seat on the airliner a few days later. The seats were cramped, smelled funny and were the color of vomit. You'd think, being rock stars and all, we could get a decent plane. Instead we get this. Jack smirked and sat next to me. "I may throw up on you."

Jack laughed and pulled out one of the throw-up bags they so nicely provide you for our flight. I groaned again and opened my mini-bag o' peanuts. Yummy.

By some miracle, I did _not_ puke on the flight. But I was not a happy camper when we landed, to say the least.

"Curse my life," I muttered as I chased my 8-string electric guitar on the baggage claim.

We got a rent-a-car and drove to John's house. After explaining to Cynthia what we were doing there, we went into the house and introduced the rest of our merry band to Julian. Much to my surprise, Julian and Jack hit it off. And I was tempted to run for the hills. Very tempted...

"Cyn, I'm home!" echoed through the house. John appeared in the door about thirty seconds later. "Ali! What are you doing here?"

"No hello first?" I pouted before grinning and glomping my twin. "Surprise!"

"Dad's idea, right?" John chuckled as he let me go. I nodded.

"Any clue where George is?" I asked as I grabbed my bag.

"Oh, so you care about your boyfriend more than me?" John fake-scowled. I laughed and nodded again. "He was going to stay late in the studio. He's doing that a lot lately."

"Okay, thanks," I hugged my brother and grabbed the car keys. I drove to EMI as fast as I could. _Man, I missed George,_ I thought as I honked at a jerk driving a good 15 miles per hour under the speed limit. Finally, I pulled up to that little white building and parked.

I opened the door and slipped silently into the building. Laughter echoed through the studio. Confused, I followed the noise.

"George! Stop it!" a female voice laughed. What the hell was a girl doing in the studio?

"Come on, Pattie!" another voice I recognized as George's grinned. Even more curious, I opened the door. And something deep in my stomach snapped at the sight of George practically sucking the face off of some other girl.

I could do nothing but stand there. George broke the kiss and noticed me.

"Oh, crap. Ali, it's not what you think it is..." he dwindled off, fear evident on his face.

"Oh, I know what this is," I whispered before finding my feet and getting the hell out of there. I was in the street as George caught up with me.

"Ali..." he cried out. I turned around.

"How long?" I was scared at how hollow my voice was.

"Six months," he sounded almost close to tears. So he had been cheating almost since we had gotten together.

"George, do you love her?" I asked, almost fearing her answer.

"Yes," he said. "Oh, Ali, I'm so sorry."

"Go," I whispered, turning around. I was not going to cry here, not now. The car started and I drove away.

I stormed into the house.

"Ali, what's..." Jack's voice faded out as I stormed past, tears forming in my eyes. I went to the room where I was supposed to be staying. Someone, probably Cyn, had tried unpacking clothes. I began to shove my stuff into my duffel.

"Ali, what happened?" John asked from the door. I turned to him and broke down.

"George...EMI...that cheating little..." I sobbed incoherently. John, however, seemed to get the general gist of what I was trying to say. He just held me and let me cry.

After about fifteen minutes, I straightened up and wiped my eyes.

"I went to EMI and found George cheating with another girl. Turns out they've been together for about six months, which explains a lot," I whispered. John's face turned from sympathetic to murderous.

"That little son of a..." John continued to call George all types of profanity. I smirked as he continued on for about five minutes.

"Well, I need to finish packing," I muttered before getting up.

"Why?" John asked, standing up too.

"You told me once that we all need to get out. I laughed at you at the time, but I understand now. This is me, getting out. Right now, I can't face him. I just can't..." I explained. John didn't look happy, but I think he understood because he helped me pack and got me on the next airplane home.

I sat there looking out the window of the horrible little flying tin can of death. The person next to me flipped a radio on. An Eagles song blared through the speakers.

_Stayed up all night waiting, thought that you might call Half the night debating, seems like after all You made your mind up Oh, I guess you made your mind up_

_Damn these strained relations, makes me want to crawl Top negotiations, feeling two foot small Guess you made your mind up Oh, such a shame to wind up_

_Staring at the ceiling, bouncing off the wall But I guess you made your mind up_

_You and me forever, guess I should have known Thought we'd be together, wound up all alone Guess you made your mind up Oh, such a shame to wind up_

_Staring at the ceiling, bouncing off the wall Kind of had a feeling, thought that you might call But I guess you made your mind up You made your mind up_

_You made your mind up You made your mind up_

Oh, how true that song was.

**I'm sorry is all I can say. I have a fam-horde (Family horde) here so updating's been a pain in the arse. I'm also sorry for everyone who wanted Ali and George to work. It was never meant to be**


	11. Wasted Time

**Hello, readers. How are you today? Hahaha, okay. Here's another chapter of Lost and Found…obviously. I got flamed on this story. Which made me sad. And it sucked. What I'm going to say next is aimed at the flamer: I accept your apology. It's fine and in the rearview mirror and I appreciate you bother to apologize. **

**Now, I'd like to also thank everyone for supporting me. Notably The Crazy Violist, Leaf_The_Muddy_Stormbringer, Rosemary Darling and, on Running, Aileen and Anna. Those reviews made this entire shish kabob a lot easier. So, I'm gonna shut up and let you guys read now.**

**Disclaimer: No. Just no.**

I woke up feeling like a limp rag. Dragging my feet, I got out of bed and went downstairs. And I slammed into a wall. Swearing, I got up and dragged myself to the couch and flipped on the T.V. A Hard Day's Night blared through the speakers. I swore to high heaven and turned it off.

My guitar seemed flatter than normal when I tried strumming out some tunes. Growling, I fiddled with it and cursed yet again when I broke a string. Tossing it into a corner with a carelessness that I would normally kill someone for treating a guitar like, I curled up in a ball and cried. I loved him...I really did. And what happens? I'm curled up in a ball bawling my eyes out. Come on, Ali. He's just a boy.

I can't even lie to myself convincingly.

An hour later, I find myself in my bed, in my pjs, eating ice cream out of the container. And I hate myself for it. George made up his mind, it's time to move on. After repeating this for several hours, I felt good enough to get the paper. Of course, the paper just _had_ to have the news about George and Pattie's engagement displayed in massive type on the front. Which _naturally_ sent me into hysterics again.

The door opens a few hours later. Jack is almost immediately by my side, tissues and ice cream in hand.

"I already did the ice cream thing," I laughed shakily, grabbing a spoonful of mint chocolate chip.

"Still helps," Jack grinned before hugging me. I just cried for a while. The beauty with Jack is that she knows when to step back and just let you be. So she didn't yell at me for wallowing in self-pity for a hour. After crying until my eyes burned, I sat up and wiped my face off. The door slammed again and a few minutes later, Drew, Josh, Casey and, much to my surprise, John.

"Hey, guys," I smiled, painfully aware of my red eyes and the pile of tissues.

"Okay, I'm gonna get a ticket back to London to go rearrange George's face. Anyone care to join me?" Josh growled as he left the room. Casey and Drew followed without hesitation.

"Don't!" I yelled, standing up. Casey popped his head back into the room.

"_Please_ tell me you don't still like this guy," he groaned. I stood there and he took my silence as a yes. "Ali, this bastard cheated on you for six months."

"I know," I whispered. John wrapped his arm around me and I leaned into him. Casey's face softened marginally.

"Well, if we can't kill him, I know the next best thing," Drew grinned from the doorway. Which is how, half an hour later, we ended up in a shooting range aiming at a target with George's face papered on top. It was quite therapeutic, to be honest.

"Well, that was fun," Josh muttered from the car as we unloaded a few hours later. John looked a bit uneasy. Just then, I realized the position I had put him in. It was his band or his family. And he had chosen family. He had chosen a sister he didn't even know he had up until six months ago. Smiling, I side-hugged John as we crammed into our car.

I somehow managed to help Jack make dinner but didn't eat anything. Everyone turned in a while later. Everyone except me, that is. I sat in the fetal position on the couch. Around 11:30, John joined me on the couch.

"How are you doing?" he asked, smiling at me. "And don't give me any crap about you being fine."

"No, I'm not fine. But I will be," I smiled reassuringly at my brother.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he slid his arm around me.

"John. You sound like a therapist," I laughed. He made a face and agreed. "And I don't want to talk about it. But I can do the next best thing."

With that, I grabbed my broken 6-string and began fixing it. "The spare guitars are in the closet over there," I nodded to a cabinet that spanned half the wall. John grinned and picked up a slide guitar.

"What's this?" he asked, holding it up. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"A slide guitar. Could you pass me that box?" I asked, pointing to my spare strings. He tossed me the box and put the slide guitar down and picking up Drew's spare Rickenbacker before sitting next to me.

"You know, it's kind of weird that we're siblings but have never collaborated before," John commented as he tuned up.

"Yeah," I agreed before running through a quick chord warm-up.

"That sounds good. You should make a song out of that," John grinned. (Kudos to anyone who can guess what warm-up that is.)

"You think so?" I smiled. It was just a warm-up...

"Well, how are you feeling right now?" John leaned forward to grab a pad of paper and a pencil.

"Sad, betrayed...like I wasted six months of my life," I muttered, thinking. "I'm afraid that it was wasted time..."

John and I exchanged looks before dashing for the pad. A while later, a song had formed on the sheet.

_Well Baby, There You Stand _

_With Your Little Head, Down In Your Hand _

_Oh, My God, You Can't Believe It's Happening _

_Again _

_Your Baby's Gone, And You're All Alone _

_And It Looks Like The End. _

_And You're Back Out On The Street. _

_And You're Tryin' To Remember. _

_How Will You Start It Over? _

_You Don't Know What Became. _

_You Don't Care Much For A Stranger's Touch, _

_But You Can't Hold Your Man. _

_You Never Thought You'd Be Alone This Far _

_Down The Line _

_And I Know What's Been On Your Mind _

_You're Afraid It's All Been Wasted Time _

_The Autumn Leaves Have Got You Thinking _

_About The First Time That You Fell _

_You Didn't Love The Boy Too Much, No, No _

_You Just Loved The Boy To Well, Farewell _

_So You Live From Day To Day, And You Dream _

_About Tomorrow, Oh. _

_And The Hours Go By Like Minutes _

_And The Shadows Come To Stay _

_So You Take A Little Something To _

_Make Them Go Away _

_And I Could Have Done So Many Things, Baby _

_If I Could Only Stop My Mind From Wondrin' What _

_I Left Behind And From Worrying 'Bout This Wasted Time _

_Ooh, Another Love Has Come And Gone _

_Ooh, And The Years Keep Rushing On _

_I Remember What You Told Me Before You Went Out On Your Own: _

_'Sometimes To Keep It Together, We Got To Leave It Alone.' _

_So You Can Get On With Your Search, Baby, And I Can _

_Get On With Mine _

_And Maybe Someday We Will Find , That It Wasn't Really _

_Wasted Time _

_Mm,Hm _

_Oh Hoo, Ooh, Ohh, _

_Ooh,Ooh, Mm_

I leaned against John and smiled, setting my guitar aside. He put his arm around me as my head drooped and my eyes slid shut. Maybe it wasn't really wasted time...

**So, review, review, review. But please no more flames. If you don't like the story and want to comment, telling me specific bits you disliked and not calling me anything profane would be nice. Oh, and for the record, I'm going to let the flame comments stay because those people deserve to have their opinions heard. Even if they make me cry and mope around a bit. So, review, love ya all, **


	12. Heart of the Matter

**Hello, people. New chapter. Sorry this took so long to get out. My cat died, my beta was out of the country, just…bleh. So sorry again. I'm also sorry for what I'm about to do. The song this chapter is actually Heart of the Matter: Hell Freezes Over version. The studio one is good, but that version is sheer perfection. That was performed live. Which goes to show how amazing the real-life Eagles were.**

**Disclaimer: Do I freaking look like I own these guys? I thought not**

Well, John went home and we had no contact with the Beatles for the next three months, which was probably for the best. I really doubt Josh had given up on the whole "face arranging" idea. So we bummed around, wrote, recorded and laid low for a while. To be honest, I wasn't ready to forgive George yet. And I doubt he would ever feel the need to forgive me. Which leaves me sitting on the sidelines, watching his happy, wonderful marriage and breaking inside.

"Well, guys, I have some news," my dad walked into the room. All eyes turned to him. "You're wanted to perform at the Grammys."

"That's great!" Jack grinned, excited at the prospect. The look on my dad's face had me a bit worried, though. After thinking for a moment, it dawned on me.

"The Beatles are going to be there, aren't they?" I groaned, already knowing the answer. No way I was getting out of this one. Crap.

"Als, if you don't want to do this..." my dad trailed off. I looked at him.

"Dad, it's the Grammys. I can't skip out on this one," I buried my hands in my face. "Life just hates me, doesn't it?"

Later that night, I went to bed early. If I was going to face my ex, I was going to do it well-rested. Groaning, I rolled on my side and tried to work it out. It was like the more I knew, the less I understood. I know it's time to forgive him. But that isn't going to make it any easier. Well, if I'm gonna forgive him, I'm gonna do it in the showiest way possible. A small smile slipped on my lips as I grabbed a pad of paper.

"Ali, you okay?" Drew touched my shoulder as I adjusted my dress. It was strapless, white and pretty long for me. A red sash finished the look along with some matching dye.

"Drew, I'm fine," I put on a small smile as I grabbed my acoustic. I doubt he believed me, though.

The applause was deafening as we went onstage. I stood up and cleared my throat.

"This song is pretty new. As in, it hasn't even been recorded yet. So bear with me please," I forced a smile as I pressed my fingers to the fretboard. Drew and Casey looked at me and I nodded. Together, the three of us played the first few notes. Jack subtly added in a baseline and Josh shook some maraca-like things. Inhaling, I stepped to the microphone and began to sing.

_I got the call today, I didn't wanna hear_

_But I knew that it would come_

_An old true friend of ours was talkin' on the phone_

_She said you found someone_

_And I thought of all the bad luck,_

_And the struggles we went through_

_And how I lost me and you lost you_

_What are these voices outside love's open door_

_Make us throw off our contentment_

_And beg for something more?_

_I'm learning to live without you now_

_But I miss you sometimes_

_The more I know, the less I understand_

_All the things I thought I knew, I'm learning again_

_I've been tryin' to get down to the Heart of the Matter_

_But my will gets weak_

_And my thoughts seem to scatter_

_But I think it's about forgiveness_

_Forgiveness_

_Even if, even if you don't love me anymore_

_These times are so uncertain_

_There's a yearning undefined_

_...People filled with rage_

_We all need a little tenderness_

_How can love survive in such a graceless age_

_The trust and self-assurance that can lead to happiness_

_They're the very things we kill, I guess_

_Pride and competition cannot fill these empty arms_

_And the work I put between us,_

_Doesn't keep me warm_

_I'm learning to live without you now_

_But I miss you, Baby_

_The more I know, the less I understand_

_All the things I thought I figured out, I have to learn again_

_I've been tryin' to get down to the Heart of the Matter_

_But everything changes_

_And my friends seem to scatter_

_But I think it's about forgiveness_

_Forgiveness_

_Even if, even if you don't love me anymore_

_There are people in your life who've come and gone_

_They let you down and hurt your pride_

_Better put it all behind you; life goes on_

_You keep carrin' that anger, it'll eat you inside_

_I've been tryin' to get down to the Heart of the Matter_

_But my will gets weak_

_And my thoughts seem to scatter_

_But I think it's about forgiveness_

_Forgiveness_

_Even if, even if you don't love me anymore_

_I've been tryin' to get down to the Heart of the Matter_

_Because the flesh will get weak_

_And the ashes will scatter_

_So I'm thinkin' about forgiveness_

_Forgiveness_

_Even if, even if you don't love me anymore_

The applause was deafening. I smiled as I bowed, for real this time. Searching the audience, I saw John grinning at me. George was next to him, that Pattie woman hanging onto his arm. I'm pretty sure he knew that song was written about him.

Well, we won the Grammy for Album of the Year for our self-named Eagles album and Drew got Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for Heartache Tonight. I screamed like crazy when The Beatles got Best New Artist and Best Performance by a Vocal Group. And, in my opinion, they should of gotten more.

At the after-party, John hunted me down and throttled the crap out of me.

"You were awesome!" he laughed, giving me a noogie. I shot him a glare that screamed "you're gonna _pay_ for that later." He didn't seem to mind. George walked up ti us and extended his hand.

"Friends?" he asked hopefully. I grinned and hugged him in response. I stepped back and turned to his wife.

"I don't think we met on the best terms last time. Alihandria Lennon," I smiled as I extended my hand.

"Pattie Boyd. Well, Harrison now. I will never get used to that," Pattie smiled back before shaking my hand. I laughed.

"I'm sure," I said with yet another grin. Pattie didn't seem so bad. Just then, Drew ran up with a horrible look on his face and seemed to be...sobbing.

"What's wrong?" I asked, touching his shoulder.

"Your dad...car...oh, Ali, I'm so sorry," he gasped between breaths. I got a sinking feeling in my stomach and grabbed his shoulder hard.

"Drew, what happened?" I feared the answer.

"There was a car accident and your dad was killed on contact. Ali, I'm so, so sorry."

**I suck..**


	13. Happy Birthday, Jack!

**Okay, this is a birthday gift for Leaf_The_Muddy_Stormbringer. Leaf is who Jack is based off of. I'm rolling back a while, so Ali and George are still together. I'm feeling lazy and don't want to deal with the drama, plus I feel like you guys deserve some fluff. This also wasn't beta-ed because I'm on a bit of a time crunch. I'm stealing two songs this chapter, our normal Eagles song and Happy Happy Birthday, which is tradition for the two of us to sing on each other's birthdays. I don't own that. So happy birthday Leaf and enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Just no.**

"Is she here?" John asked Ali as she pinned up some neon blue streamers.

"No, I sent her out to get groceries," Ali responded as she shoved the last thumbtack into the wall. A cake sat on the kitchen table, clean for the first time in two years. 22 candles stuck out of the top.

"We have music!" Casey yelled as he dragged a record player into the room. John peered over at the stack of records on top. He nodded in approval of the Elvis, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran and Little Richard.

George walked into the room and pecked Ali on the cheek.

"What's the cake?" he asked, looping his arms around her waist.

"Chocolate with chocolate icing. What else?" Ali laughed before grabbing some balloons. "Now go make yourself useful and hang these up."

"Oh, this is gonna be good," Ringo grinned, walking in with an armful of presents. Josh agreed as he followed.

"She's coming!" Drew yelled as he ran downstairs. They quickly flipped off the lights and hid behind couches, tables and chairs.

"I can't believe they forgot!" Jack hissed as she walked home, food in hand. It was her 22nd year on the planet and she hadn't received so much as a happy birthday. Muttering some explicative, she kicked a rock and walked to the door.

"I'm home!" she yelled as she banged the door open. The hall was completely black. "Guys?"

The lights suddenly flipped on and a yelled "Surprise!" echoed through the room. Jack's pout was replaced by a grin as Ali hugged her.

"You didn't really think we forgot, did you?" she grinned. The rest of the group, featuring the Beatles, joined the hug.

"Ummm...ooh, cake!" Jack quickly changed the subject and ran to the table.

"Not yet!" Casey yelled. Ali and Drew grabbed guitars and everyone gathered around her. With a laugh, everyone started to sing.

_Once a year we celebrate_

_With stupid hats and plastic plates_

_The fact that you were able to make_

_Another trip around the sun_

_And the whole clan gathers round_

_And gifts and laughter do abound_

_And we let out a joyful sound_

_And sing that stupid song_

_Happy birthday!_

_Now you're one year older!_

_Happy birthday!_

_Your life still isn't over!_

_Happy birthday!_

_You did not accomplish much_

_But you didn't die this year_

_I guess that's good enough_

_So let's drink to your fading health_

_And hope you don't remind yourself_

_The chance of finding fame and wealth_

_Decrease with every year_

_Does it feel like you're doing laps_

_And eating food and taking naps_

_And hoping that someday perhaps_

_Your life will hold some cheer_

_Happy birthday!_

_What have you done that matters?_

_Happy birthday!_

_You're starting to get fatter_

_Happy birthday!_

_It's downhill from now on_

_Try not to remind yourself_

_Your best years are all gone_

_If cryogenics were all free_

_Then you could live like Walt Disney_

_And live for all eternity_

_Inside a block of ice_

_But instead your time is set_

_This is the only life you get_

_And though it hasn't ended yet_

_Sometimes you wish it might_

_Happy birthday!_

_You wish you had more money_

_Happy birthday!_

_Your life's so sad it's funny_

_Happy birthday!_

_How much more can you take?_

_But your friends are hungry_

_So just cut the stupid cake_

_Happy birthday!_

_Happy birthday!_

_Happy birthday, dear..._

Everyone pretended to forget her name and burst out laughing. Jack hugged the nearest person, which happened to be Ringo and cracked up with the rest of them.

The rest of the afternoon and night was spent eating cake, playing corny party games, watching A Hard Day's Night and eating ramen. It was late in the night when Ali walked up to Jack and took her arm.

"Can I show you something?" she asked. Jack nodded and Ali pulled her into the basement.

"I know it's your birthday and all but I needed to get this out of my head," Ali smiled before grabbing her guitar.

_Desperado, Why Don't You Come To Your Senses? _

_You Been Out Ridin' Fences For So Long Now _

_Oh, You're A Hard One _

_I Know That You Got Your Reasons _

_These Things That Are Pleasin' You _

_Can Hurt You Somehow _

_Don' You Draw The Queen Of Diamonds, Boy _

_She'll Beat You If She's Able _

_You Know The Queen Of Heats Is Always Your Best Bet _

_Now It Seems To Me, Some Fine Things _

_Have Been Laid Upon Your Table _

_But You Only Want The Ones That You Can't Get _

_Desperado, Oh, You Ain't Gettin' No Younger _

_Your Pain And Your Hunger, They're Drivin' You Home _

_And Freedom, Oh Freedom Well, That's Just Some People Talkin' _

_Your Prison Is Walking Through This World All Alone _

_Don't Your Feet Get Cold In The Winter Time? _

_The Sky Won't Snow And The Sun Won't Shine _

_It's Hard To Tell The Night Time From The Day _

_You're Loosin' All Your Highs And Lows _

_Ain't It Funny How The Feeling Goes Away? _

_Desperado, Why Don't You Come To Your Senses? _

_Come Down From Your Fences, Open The Gate _

_It May Be Rainin', But There's A Rainbow Above You _

_You Better Let Somebody Love You, Before It's Too Late_

"That's good," Jack smiled as she hugged her friend. Ali smiled before shaking her head.

"I'm not gonna tell the others yet. It just doesn't feel ready," she smiled before walking back upstairs. She turned around and smiled slightly.

"Happy birthday, Jack."

**Another happy birthday to Leaf, I love you to bits. So, I'll hopefully update soon. Bye!**


	14. New York Minute

**Hello, people! Ali here with another chapter of Lost and Found! *does happy dance* Okay, this chapter is really depressing. Like, really ****_really_**** depressing. So, a lot of people were asking why I would just kill off Ali's dad. The answer is simple. Even though I based Ali off of me, it's very fun to kick her when she's down. I'm a right little sadist when it comes to hurting characters. But this is about as bad as it gets for her, which is good. Thanks to all the people who reviewed. Especially Paulsgirl34 and SteampunkGirl9. I mean, jeez you guys reviewed a lot. It was a lovely surprise. And FlowerChild17, I was kind of cheating on that last chapter. I had about half an hour to get something up, so I stole two songs. But Leaf was happy, so it was worth it. Won't happen again, promise. I'm just gonna shut up now and let you people read.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it, never have, never will**

My jaw just dropped. I was, for the first time in my life, utterly speechless. It was like I should be crying, but I couldn't. He couldn't be dead. He just _couldn't_.

"No, that can't be right," I said shakily, scared at how weak I sounded, hoping Drew could hear the silent plea. _No,_ I was crying inside. _Not him. Anyone else, just not him._

"Ali, I'm so sorry," Drew repeated, looking like he was about to cry. John's arm looped around my waist.

"No, he can't be!" I exclaimed, feeling sick.

"He just can't be," I choked. People were staring but I didn't care. Dad couldn't be dead...

Suddenly feeling trapped, I slid out of John's grasp and started running. I had to see him. Had to see him one last time.

"My name's Alihandria Lennon, my father had an accident. I need to see him," I gasped after getting to the hospital. The nurse looked at me, a bit scared. She took my hand and led me to the emergency ward. My dad was lying in a bed, IV in one arm. A breathing tube was down his throat and a heart monitor was on his chest. An ominous beep was coming from it and the line on the screen was flat. The nurse walked over to it and flipped it off.

"I'm sorry," she whispered before leaving, giving me some privacy. I pulled up a chair and grabbed my father's hand. That was where John found me half an hour later.

"Ali..." he whispered, stepping into the room. Dad's hand had long since become cold, but I didn't care.

"Why?" I choked hollowly. I couldn't feel anything. It was like I should be sad but all I felt was empty. "Why him?"

"I don't know," John pulled up a chair next to me. I turned sideways and looked at him.

"Why can't I feel sad?" I choked out. John wrapped me in an embrace.

"Let's get you home," he murmured into my hair before taking my hand and leading me to the car. I followed like a child.

The hotel room was dark and cold. Sleep refused to come. The streets of New York whirled around me, sirens blaring even at this late hour. It took just a minute here for my father to leave me. Just a minute and everything could change. I flipped my light on and dug around for my trusty notepad.

Someone knocked on the door, startling me. I glanced around and noticed it was morning. I had stayed up all night. The knocking came again, more insistently. I stood up and opened the door.

"You look awful," John grinned and I looked down at myself. The dress from last night was wrinkled and my hair was a mess. My eyes probably had dark rings around them. But I didn't care. I didn't care about anything anymore.

I cracked my neck before going back to my bed and picking up my pad, the only evidence of the hellish night I just went through. John peered over at what I had wrote.

_Harry Got Up _

_Dressed All In Black _

_Went Down To The Station _

_And He Never Came Back _

_They Found His Clothing _

_Scattered Somewhere Down The Track _

_And He Won't Be Down On Wall Street _

_In The Morning _

_He Had A Home _

_The Love Of A Girl _

_But Men Get Lost Sometimes _

_As Years Unfold _

_One Day He Crossed Some Line _

_And He Was Too Much In This World _

_But I Guess It Doesn't Matter Anymore _

_In A New York Minute _

_Everything Can Change _

_In A New York Minute _

_Things Can Get Pretty Strange _

_In A New York Minute _

_Everything Can Change _

_In A New York Minute _

_Lying Here In The Darkness _

_I Hear The Sirens Wail _

_Somebody Going To Emergency _

_Somebody's Going To Jail _

_If You Find Somebody To Love In This World _

_You Better Hand On Tooth And Nail _

_The Wolf Is Always At The Door _

_In A New York Minute _

_Everything Can Change _

_In A New York Minute _

_Things Can Get A Little Strange _

_In A New York Minute _

_Everything Can Change _

_In A New York Minute _

_And In These Days _

_When Darkness Falls Early _

_And People Rush Home _

_To The Ones They Love _

_You Better Take A Fool's Advice _

_And Tak Care Of Your Own _

_One Day They're Here; _

_Next Day They're Gone _

_I Pulled My Coat Around My Shoulders _

_And Took A Walk Down Through The Park _

_The Leaves Were Falling Around Me _

_The Groaning City In The Gathering Dark _

_On Some Solitary Rock _

_A Desperate Lover Left His Mark, _

_'Baby, I've Changed. Please Come Back.' _

_What The Head Makes Cloudy _

_The Heart Makes Very Clear _

_The Days Were So Much Brighter _

_In The Time When He Was Here _

_But I Know There's Somebody Somewhere _

_Make These Dark Clouds Disappear _

_Until That Day, I Have To Believe _

_I Believe, I Believe _

_In A New York Minute _

_Everything Can Change _

_In A New York Minute _

_Things Can Get A Little Strange _

_In A New York Minute _

_Everything Can Change _

_In A New York Minute_

John hugged me again and I looked up at him. "It hurts so bad but I just can't cry," I explained, feeling my throat constrict. How was it that I could cry because of my boyfriend's cheating but not because my dad was gone?

We just sat there for the day. John tried to get me to eat but I wasn't hungry. All I could do was sit on my bed and stare at the wall. In a new york minute, everything could change...

"Ali, I'm gonna go to bed. Will you be okay on your own?" John broke the silence. I nodded at him even though I desperately didn't want to be alone again.

It was about 3:00 when Paul came. I opened the door and he came in with a bag that smelled like fast food.

"I couldn't sleep and thought you might be hungry," Paul explained, almost apologetic. I tried to fake a smile. It probably looked more like a grimace.

We sat on the bed and he took out some chicken out of the bag.

"I'm not hungry," I muttered, curling up in the fetal position and going back to staring at the wall.

"Have you had _anything_ to eat today?" Paul touched my shoulder. I turned to him, a bit surprised at the sinking feeling in my stomach. It really was sweet of him to come here. I thought for a second before shaking my head.

Paul pressed a piece of chicken into my hand. "Then you eat," he muttered, looking very determined. Knowing this battle was lost, I took a bite. He looked very satisfied as he leaned back on the bed.

"What have you been doing all day?" he asked nonchalantly. I looked at him and took another bite, more to keep Paul happy than anything.

"Staring at the wall," I said as I put the chicken back down. My body felt exhausted but I couldn't bring myself to sleep.

"How are you feeling?" Paul sat up and looked at me.

"Fine," I muttered, playing with the sheets. Paul grabbed my hand and glared at me.

"Really."

"Why do you care?" I growled, feeling a bit threatened but feeling my voice rising. "Why do you care that I feel like someone just ripped my soul out? Why would you care that I haven't really eaten, haven't slept, and have been worrying all day about how the hell I'm gonna tell Robin his daddy's never coming home? Why do you care that I wish it had been me in that car? Why do you care that I want so badly to scream, to run outside and jump off this building just so I can talk to him again? Why do you-"

Paul cut me off by grabbing my arms, leaning forward and kissing me on the mouth hard.

"That's why I care," he whispered, pulling apart and brushing a tear from my face. I didn't notice I started crying. And, suddenly, a lot of things made sense. Why Paul had always interrupted me and George. Why I could eventually forgive him. It was never going to be George.

Not that any of these revelations mattered right then because I was too busy bawling my eyes out in Paul's arms. He was actually pretty good about that, considering he had just laid everything out on the table to me. After about fifteen minutes of incoherent sobbing, I managed to pull myself together. Sort of.

"Sorry about that," I smiled shakily, wiping my eyes. Paul shook his head and passed me some tissues. I grabbed a fistful and blew my nose in a way that resembled a cross between an elephant and a trumpet.

"Feeling better?" Paul smiled as I looked around for a trash can.

"Much," I said as I straightened up. Some hair was getting in his face so I brushed it away. "Thank you."

This time, my arms went around Paul's neck as he kissed me. And I kissed back.

"Do you want me to stay?" he asked as we eventually pulled apart. I nodded.

"I don't want to be alone tonight," I whispered. Paul smiled and tucked some of my hair behind my ear.

We stayed nestled together that night, my head on his chest and his arm tight around my waist. He didn't try anything, probably thinking I was too emotionally unstable. He was dead right. I was still a long way from okay, but, after that night, I was on the right path to get there.

My jaw just dropped. I was, for the first time in my life, utterly speechless. It was like I should be crying, but I couldn't. He couldn't be dead. He just _couldn't_.

"No, that can't be right," I said shakily, scared at how weak I sounded, hoping Drew could hear the silent plea. _No,_ I was crying inside. _Not him. Anyone else, just not him._

"Ali, I'm so sorry," Drew repeated, looking like he was about to cry. John's arm looped around my waist.

"No, he can't be!" I exclaimed, feeling sick.

"He just can't be," I choked. People were staring but I didn't care. Dad couldn't be dead...

Suddenly feeling trapped, I slid out of John's grasp and started running. I had to see him. Had to see him one last time.

"My name's Alihandria Lennon, my father had an accident. I need to see him," I gasped after getting to the hospital. The nurse looked at me, a bit scared. She took my hand and led me to the emergency ward. My dad was lying in a bed, IV in one arm. A breathing tube was down his throat and a heart monitor was on his chest. An ominous beep was coming from it and the line on the screen was flat. The nurse walked over to it and flipped it off.

"I'm sorry," she whispered before leaving, giving me some privacy. I pulled up a chair and grabbed my father's hand. That was where John found me half an hour later.

"Ali..." he whispered, stepping into the room. Dad's hand had long since become cold, but I didn't care.

"Why?" I choked hollowly. I couldn't feel anything. It was like I should be sad but all I felt was empty. "Why him?"

"I don't know," John pulled up a chair next to me. I turned sideways and looked at him.

"Why can't I feel sad?" I choked out. John wrapped me in an embrace.

"Let's get you home," he murmured into my hair before taking my hand and leading me to the car. I followed like a child.

The hotel room was dark and cold. Sleep refused to come. The streets of New York whirled around me, sirens blaring even at this late hour. It took just a minute here for my father to leave me. Just a minute and everything could change. I flipped my light on and dug around for my trusty notepad.

Someone knocked on the door, startling me. I glanced around and noticed it was morning. I had stayed up all night. The knocking came again, more insistently. I stood up and opened the door.

"You look awful," John grinned and I looked down at myself. The dress from last night was wrinkled and my hair was a mess. My eyes probably had dark rings around them. But I didn't care. I didn't care about anything anymore.

I cracked my neck before going back to my bed and picking up my pad, the only evidence of the hellish night I just went through. John peered over at what I had wrote.

_Harry Got Up _

_Dressed All In Black _

_Went Down To The Station _

_And He Never Came Back _

_They Found His Clothing _

_Scattered Somewhere Down The Track _

_And He Won't Be Down On Wall Street _

_In The Morning _

_He Had A Home _

_The Love Of A Girl _

_But Men Get Lost Sometimes _

_As Years Unfold _

_One Day He Crossed Some Line _

_And He Was Too Much In This World _

_But I Guess It Doesn't Matter Anymore _

_In A New York Minute _

_Everything Can Change _

_In A New York Minute _

_Things Can Get Pretty Strange _

_In A New York Minute _

_Everything Can Change _

_In A New York Minute _

_Lying Here In The Darkness _

_I Hear The Sirens Wail _

_Somebody Going To Emergency _

_Somebody's Going To Jail _

_If You Find Somebody To Love In This World _

_You Better Hand On Tooth And Nail _

_The Wolf Is Always At The Door _

_In A New York Minute _

_Everything Can Change _

_In A New York Minute _

_Things Can Get A Little Strange _

_In A New York Minute _

_Everything Can Change _

_In A New York Minute _

_And In These Days _

_When Darkness Falls Early _

_And People Rush Home _

_To The Ones They Love _

_You Better Take A Fool's Advice _

_And Tak Care Of Your Own _

_One Day They're Here; _

_Next Day They're Gone _

_I Pulled My Coat Around My Shoulders _

_And Took A Walk Down Through The Park _

_The Leaves Were Falling Around Me _

_The Groaning City In The Gathering Dark _

_On Some Solitary Rock _

_A Desperate Lover Left His Mark, _

_'Baby, I've Changed. Please Come Back.' _

_What The Head Makes Cloudy _

_The Heart Makes Very Clear _

_The Days Were So Much Brighter _

_In The Time When He Was Here _

_But I Know There's Somebody Somewhere _

_Make These Dark Clouds Disappear _

_Until That Day, I Have To Believe _

_I Believe, I Believe _

_In A New York Minute _

_Everything Can Change _

_In A New York Minute _

_Things Can Get A Little Strange _

_In A New York Minute _

_Everything Can Change _

_In A New York Minute_

John hugged me again and I looked up at him. "It hurts so bad but I just can't cry," I explained, feeling my throat constrict. How was it that I could cry because of my boyfriend's cheating but not because my dad was gone?

We just sat there for the day. John tried to get me to eat but I wasn't hungry. All I could do was sit on my bed and stare at the wall. In a new york minute, everything could change...

"Ali, I'm gonna go to bed. Will you be okay on your own?" John broke the silence. I nodded at him even though I desperately didn't want to be alone again.

It was about 3:00 when Paul came. I opened the door and he came in with a bag that smelled like fast food.

"I couldn't sleep and thought you might be hungry," Paul explained, almost apologetic. I tried to fake a smile. It probably looked more like a grimace.

We sat on the bed and he took out some chicken out of the bag.

"I'm not hungry," I muttered, curling up in the fetal position and going back to staring at the wall.

"Have you had _anything_ to eat today?" Paul touched my shoulder. I turned to him, a bit surprised at the sinking feeling in my stomach. It really was sweet of him to come here. I thought for a second before shaking my head.

Paul pressed a piece of chicken into my hand. "Then you eat," he muttered, looking very determined. Knowing this battle was lost, I took a bite. He looked very satisfied as he leaned back on the bed.

"What have you been doing all day?" he asked nonchalantly. I looked at him and took another bite, more to keep Paul happy than anything.

"Staring at the wall," I said as I put the chicken back down. My body felt exhausted but I couldn't bring myself to sleep.

"How are you feeling?" Paul sat up and looked at me.

"Fine," I muttered, playing with the sheets. Paul grabbed my hand and glared at me.

"Really."

"Why do you care?" I growled, feeling a bit threatened but feeling my voice rising. "Why do you care that I feel like someone just ripped my soul out? Why would you care that I haven't really eaten, haven't slept, and have been worrying all day about how the hell I'm gonna tell Robin his daddy's never coming home? Why do you care that I wish it had been me in that car? Why do you care that I want so badly to scream, to run outside and jump off this building just so I can talk to him again? Why do you-"

Paul cut me off by grabbing my arms, leaning forward and kissing me on the mouth hard.

"That's why I care," he whispered, pulling apart and brushing a tear from my face. I didn't notice I started crying. And, suddenly, a lot of things made sense. Why Paul had always interrupted me and George. Why I could eventually forgive him. It was never going to be George.

Not that any of these revelations mattered right then because I was too busy bawling my eyes out in Paul's arms. He was actually pretty good about that, considering he had just laid everything out on the table to me. After about fifteen minutes of incoherent sobbing, I managed to pull myself together. Sort of.

"Sorry about that," I smiled shakily, wiping my eyes. Paul shook his head and passed me some tissues. I grabbed a fistful and blew my nose in a way that resembled a cross between an elephant and a trumpet.

"Feeling better?" Paul smiled as I looked around for a trash can.

"Much," I said as I straightened up. Some hair was getting in his face so I brushed it away. "Thank you."

This time, my arms went around Paul's neck as he kissed me. And I kissed back.

"Do you want me to stay?" he asked as we eventually pulled apart. I nodded.

"I don't want to be alone tonight," I whispered. Paul smiled and tucked some of my hair behind my ear.

We stayed nestled together that night, my head on his chest and his arm tight around my waist. He didn't try anything, probably thinking I was too emotionally unstable. He was dead right. I was still a long way from okay, but, after that night, I was on the right path to get there.

**Well, that was most depressing to write, I'll say again. But anyway, I love people who review. So review. Then I'll love you too! So, love and cupcakes. BYEEEEE!**


	15. Hotel California

**Okay, sorry this took so long to get up. I actually got this done about three days after I published the last chapter but my beta went on vacation and I went camping and then got REALLY obsessed with Def Leppard. So yeah... Anywho, I finally got it read through so now it's going up!**

**I also made a forum two days ago *is proud of herself*. It's actually about Def Leppard, complete with videos and pictures and whatnot, but I'm more than willing to take all RPFs (Real Person FanFictions). So if anyone wants to back their stuff up on there, be my guest :-). I'll stick the link on a review for this chapter because this site does not allow for me to stick links in a story. Thanks to whoever reviewed to tell me about that!  
**

**Disclaimer: I have a surprise for everyone. I DON'T OWN THE BEATLES OR ANYTHING ELSE IN THIS STORY O.O**

A tear made its way down my face as the coffin was lowered into the ground. I felt a reassuring hand on the small of my back. Glancing up, I saw Paul's, not John's face smiling sadly at me. He pulled me close and I buried my head in his chest, sobs wracking my shoulders.

John was holding Robin, both of them crying as well. David stood there with Mom, tears on even his cheeks. Since Dad's death, we had all become much closer. John really became a brother to Robin and David. And Paul became much more than just a boyfriend to me.

The service and the reception flew by very quickly, which was a blessing. The drive to our house was long and silent. We eventually got home late at night, about 12:30. I walked into my room and took my shoes off.

"How are you feeling?" Paul asked from the doorway. I turned around, letting my hair out of the twisted, black-streaked up-do it had been in all day.

"How do you think I'm feeling?" I looked at Paul. I couldn't explain what I was feeling right now: sad, angry, hurt, but also glad my dad was at rest. Paul had lost his mom; I hoped he could understand.

Paul crossed the room and wrapped his arms tight around me. I leaned into his touch, happy he was here.

"I know, honey. Believe me, I know..." he whispered into my hair.

"Oi, Paul!" John yelled from the doorway. "No taking advantage of my sister when she's distressed like that."

I swirled around anger in my eyes. John was grinning mischievously. Paul slid his arm around my waist and gave John the "sod off" look.

"Really, though, dinner's on," John smirked and left. I rolled my eyes and turned back to Paul.

"I'm gonna get out of this dress. See you in a few," I kicked Paul out of my room so I could get my dye out and change into my lazy sweats. 15 minutes later, I came out of my room and downstairs, where everyone was eating pizza.

"Nice of you to join us," Josh elbowed me in the ribs as I sat down with a few slices. Shooting him a look, I dug into my food. It was silent for a while when everyone was eating their food. I finished and stood up.

"Well, I'm gonna go to bed. Goodnight," I said shortly before fleeing to my room. Curling up into the fetal position, I saw in the alcove that had a beautiful view of the ocean. Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I looked up to see Paul smiling at me. I scooted over and he sat down next to me. We just sat there for a while.

"It's beautiful," he whispered. I smiled slightly and nodded. His arm went around me again and I leaned into his shoulders.

"I've come up with a lot of songs here," I murmured. I felt Paul playing with my hair before he noticed a sheet of paper lying on the windowsill.

"What's this?" he asked, picking it up.

"Something that I wrote before all of this. I completely forgot about it," I smirked. The first verse of a song was printed on it. I remembered the tune and began singing quietly. "On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair..."

Paul arched an eyebrow at me. "How on earth did you forget that?"

"Just did. Would you help me finish it?" I smiled. Paul nodded and grabbed a pencil. A while later, we had a song finished.

_On A Dark Desert Highway, Cool Wind In My Hair _

_Warm Smell Of Colitas, Rising Up Through The Air _

_Up Ahead In The Distance, I Saw A Shimmering Light _

_My Head Grew Heavy And My Sight Grew Dim _

_I Had To Stop For The Night _

_There She Stood In The Doorway; _

_I Heard The Mission Bell _

_And I Was Thinking To Myself, _

_'This Could Be Heaven Or This Could Be Hell' _

_Then She Lit Up A Candle And She Showed Me The Way _

_There Were Voices Down The Corridor, _

_I Thought I Heard Them Say... _

_Welcome To The Hotel California _

_Such A Lovely Place _

_Such A Lovely Face _

_Plenty Of Room At The Hotel California _

_Any Time Of Year, You Can Find It Here _

_Her Mind Is Tiffany-Twisted, She Got The Mercedes Bends _

_She Got A Lot Of Pretty, Pretty Boys, That She Calls Friends _

_How They Dance In The Courtyard, Sweet Summer Sweat. _

_Some Dance To Remember, Some Dance To Forget _

_So I Called Up The Captain, _

_'Please Bring Me My Wine' _

_He Said, 'We Haven't Had That Spirit Here Since Nineteen Sixty Nine' _

_And Still Those Voices Are Calling From Far Away, _

_Wake You Up In The Middle Of The Night _

_Just To Hear Them Say... _

_Welcome To The Hotel California _

_Such A Lovely Place _

_Such A Lovely Face _

_They Livin' It Up At The Hotel California _

_What A Nice Surprise, Bring Your Alibis _

_Mirrors On The Ceiling, _

_The Pink Champagne On Ice _

_And She Said 'We Are All Just Prisoners Here, Of Our Own Device' _

_And In The Master's Chambers, _

_They Gathered For The Feast _

_The Stab It With Their Steely Knives, _

_But They Just Can't Kill The Beast _

_Last Thing I Remember, I Was _

_Running For The Door _

_I Had To Find The Passage Back _

_To The Place I Was Before _

_'Relax,' Said The Night Man, _

_We Are Programmed To Receive. _

_You Can Checkout Any Time You Like, _

_But You Can Never Leave_

I was grinning. When writing with Paul, it felt like all my problems just...disappeared. Feeling better than I had in ages, I rolled my shoulders and got up.

"Thanks, love," I smiled before kissing Paul. He smiled against my lips and pulled me back down, giving him more leverage. I smirked and he took advantage of that, deepening the kiss. We eventually pulled apart, breathing heavily. Paul picked me up and set me down on the bed before kissing me again. My arms went around his neck, pulling him closer. His hand slid up my shirt. Feeling uncomfortable, I pulled apart from him.

"Not yet," I whispered. Paul looked me in the eyes for a second before pulling me close.

"Whatever you need," he smiled into my hair.

We spent the rest of the night together, despite not having sex. All we did was lay there and talk. And I fell asleep in his arms.

**Yes, I'm being a bit of a prude :-). Anyway, review, review, review! Love you all BYEEEEE!**


	16. Help Me Through The Night

__**I am not in a happy mood right now. My dad broke his collarbone in a bike accident. So now he needs surgery. It may be a while before I update...**

**Disclaimer: Don't own squat**

_Six months later_

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," the priest said. I grinned and cheered with everyone else as George and Pattie's lips met. My eyes met Paul's and I smiled. Who knows, it might be us here one day. As far as I knew, he wasn't cheating.

Oh, I'm sure there have been groupies and whatnot. The Eagles went on tour and the amount of women throwing themselves at the boys was just incredible. And lord knows The Beatles have more fangirls than we do. Honestly, I really don't want that kind of adoration. It's nice to be able to take a walk without getting mobbed.

I grinned and hugged Pattie after George and her broke apart. We had become pretty good friends in the last few weeks. She had asked me to be a bridesmaid and I agreed without hesitation. The thing between George and me was completely in the rearview mirror. So it really wasn't awkward when I hugged George afterwards.

Twist and Shout blared through the speakers as people danced. I raised an eyebrow at George as he went past.

"Isn't it a bit conceited to play your own song at your wedding?" I yelled.

George laughed and yelled back, "Cover! Our own cover!"

"Whatever!" I laughed and turned to Paul. He was grinning. Shaking his head, he grabbed my hand.

"Let's go get something to drink," he said before leading me to the buffet. There was a bunch of sammiches and some punch immediately in front of us. I grinned and grabbed some food.

"Of course you go for the sandwich," Paul smiled as he looped his arms around my waist. I glanced at him with mock sternness.

"Sammich. The correct term is sammich," I corrected. Paul smirked.

"Didn't George already wage this war with you?"

"Yes, and he failed. In case you didn't notice," I laughed before taking a bite. Paul shook his head and kissed the top of my head. He grabbed something too and we ate quickly.

"Oi, Ali! We need our guitarist!" blared from the stage. Turning around, I saw the rest of The Eagles onstage. Oh, yeah...we were supposed to perform.

"Coming!" I yelled back after swallowing the last bite of my sammich. I scaled the steps quickly and grabbed my guitar. Casey yelled a countdown and I launched into Heartache Tonight.

"Somebody's gonna hurt someone..." I sang into the microphone I shared with Drew. Crap, I was running a bit flat. I corrected my problem and added the next bit of lyrics, flashing a thumbs-up to Jack from behind my guitar, who gave me a concerned look.

The song ended quickly and we launched into Life in the Fast Lane, our newest single. It was based off of a warm-up. And we actually bothered to record a censored version, so it wasn't _totally_ banned.

Boys of Summer, Pretty Maids all in a Row, Get Over It, Hotel California; it was a familiar set. But now came the kicker. I grabbed my acoustic and motioned for Josh to come down. He grabbed a guitar as well. Drew and I had been teaching him the basics for a few weeks now. Casey sat down at a piano. The rest of us pulled up chairs and sat down.

"This is our wedding present to Pattie and George. We love you guys!" I smiled before mouthing a count-off. The four of us began an intertwining mixture of guitar, myself and Drew with tougher parts with Josh playing a simple harmony, adding extra layers of melody. Josh started singing.

"Somewhere along the way, I found the meaning. Woke up dreaming...along the way. It never quite seems the same when you awaken. And making up for the time is such a price to pay. And then they take the dream away. And it just ain't fair...mama," he looked at me and I smiled reassuringly. This was our moment. He continued, "So help me through the night, mama."

Jack, Drew, Casey and I sang next. "Help me to ease the pain."

"Tell me it's alright," Josh shut his eyes, lost in the music. More backing vocals. "Help me through the night once again..."

I took a deep breath before leaning to the microphone and singing, "And that's the danger in pretending. Trying to defend yourself from someone else's war, don't know what they're fighting for...no, they just don't care...no..."

My eyes slid shut as Drew slid into the guitar solo. His guitar seemed to cry as notes slid out. I couldn't help flashing back to the 18-year old, laying his hands on a guitar for the first time, awe on his face. How his first notes sounded garbled and awful, but slowly gained clarity and speed. God, he has improved.

"Tell me it's alright, Open my eyes again...Tell me it's alright, help me through the night once again..." I sang, opening my eyes. My band harmonized behind me. Josh looked at me as he sang the next bit.

"Oh, won't you help me, mama?" he shut his eyes, reaching out to his mother, the woman he had never met. The woman who had given him up. I shut my eyes up and soared to a high note.

"Could you help me...mama," I tried to reach Julia, up in heaven with my father. The one I couldn't remember. A final strum, then silence. Josh and I exchanged looks. We knew each other's pain...the agony of being alone at night, knowing our moms had just...let us go. I had stopped crying about it years ago, but it had resurfaced when I realized I was now an orphan. Pauline helped but, at the end of the day, she just wasn't my mother.

"Congrads, you two," I smiled into the mic, throwing off my depressed mood. I could cry about it later, now was time for celebrating life. Setting my guitar aside, we cleared the stage to make room for the Rolling Stones. Figures...when you have all major bands crammed in one room with a stage and instruments, people are gonna play. Paul and John joined me once I got to the bottom of the stage.

"Wow...that was just...wow," John hugged me. I'm pretty sure he got that I wasn't just giving George and Pattie a song. I had just ripped my deepest pain out of my soul and set it out in front of everything. I had let them in.

"Hey, John, can I have my girlfriend back?" Paul tapped him on the shoulder. John released me and I intertwined my fingers with Paul's.

A couple hours of partying later, most of the crowd had dispersed and everyone there was drunk, high or both.

"Hey, Als," Paul slurred, holding a bottle of what looked like vodka and smelling like a mixture of booze and what I'm pretty sure was pot. I carefully slid the bottle out of his hand.

"Okay, I think that's enough," I wrapped my arm around his waist and guided him to the elevator.

"But I don't wanna go!" he whined. I shook my head. While on tour, I learned how to deal with drunk guys.

"Too bad," I hit the button for my floor. It would be best for everyone if I stayed with him.

"You're preeeeety..." he rocked back and forth. Oh, he was defiantly high too.

"Paul, what did you smoke?"

"Everything!" he giggled. I face-palmed and said a silent prayer.

"Of course you did," I groaned as the elevator door opened.

"Where are we going?" Paul staggered into the hallway.

"My room. You're staying with me tonight," I grabbed his hand and directed him to my room.

"So are we gonna have seeeex?" Paul leaned forward.

"No, we are _not_," I groaned as the door opened. Paul staggered in and turned to me.

"Are you sure, cause..." he drifted off before he passed out drunk. I rolled my eyes, took his shoes off and dragged him in the bed. Quickly, I changed into PJ's, brushed my teeth and curled up next to him, grimacing at the smell of alcohol. It took two hours of counting sheep before I got to sleep.

**Well, review and all that jazz. Love you all, bye**


	17. I Can't Tell You Why

**Okay, I'm stuck in a house with Leaf for the weekend. AKA I'm holed up in a room with Jack, chocolate and a laptop named Gladys. If the world explodes, you know who to blame. Leaf: MWAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH A! ^^ My sole purpose in life is to harass you reader peoples, so ph34r me! Grr. Also, read mah stories. No one lieks them XD**

**Ali: Okay, enough blatant self-promotion...Anywho, in case anyone didn't notice, I didn't do my traditional copy-paste thing for the songs last chapter. Seeing as I didn't get any reviews saying that it sucked, I'm taking it as an improvement. So you won't need to sit there staring at lyrics that you don't really give a damn about. Yay! So, anyway, we're working on a big-arse chapter. You people should get it by Monday. In theory...haha god knows I suck at deadlines. But there's a lot of angst going on. And Ali hates me right now. Anyway, methinks I'm gonna let you read now. Sooo...bai!**

**Disclaimer: I am a teenage girl with a laptop in a room eating junk food. How on earth would I own anything? Oh, and the song for the week's I Can't Tell You Why. Not mine.**

"Drew, goddammit, you're flat! Just listen to me!" Casey yelled, standing up. I shut my eyes and tried to wait it out. We weren't the first band to fight and we most certainly wouldn't be the last.

"Oh, like you know what you're doing on guitar!" Drew screamed back, walking towards him with hands balled into fists. Nodding to Josh, I grabbed Drew's arm as Josh walked to Casey.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Drew bellowed. His other fist came flying up and nailed me in the face. In shock, I let go of his arm. I could feel blood oozing down my face, warm and shockingly scarlet. Instantly, the look of rage vanished from Drew's face to be replaced by one of concern.

"Oh my god..." Jack whispered, setting her bass down. "Ali, are you alright?"

I grabbed a wad of tissues and leaned forward, pinching the bridge of my nose. Drew grabbed the box and a garbage can before sitting next to me.

"Oh, god...Ali, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me..." Drew looked scared.

"What's happening to us? We never used to fight, not like this," I whispered, analyzing the ground. While making this album, tensions had started rising. It had started small: a chord here, a beat there. Slowly, though, it had grown to tuning, how to play your part...and it had just turned into violence.

We had all grown immensely since starting this band. Drew could outplay pretty much anyone, but I was still lead. Josh wanted to sing more, Casey was learning guitar and wanted to play on the album. I was spending a lot more time with Paul. Jack was trying to keep the peace but I'm pretty sure she had problems too. When we had started the Eagles, we had a very clean-cut front. Now, not so much.

I looked at the four people surrounding me. Without hesitation, I would follow any of them to hell and back. But what we had to do was going to be much harder than that.

"We need to take a break," it was a statement, not a question. I was greeted with looks of shock for saying that. "Look around. We're all trying to go in different directions. Drew, you're a fantastic guitar player and you deserve more recognition. Josh, not only are you a solid drummer, you have a great voice. Casey, you're getting good at guitar and I have never had any issues with your piano or your singing. Jack, you're just brilliant and you deserve a medal for putting up with us for these past few months."

"You're saying we should break up," Casey seemed to still be analyzing my first statement.

"Not so much break up as take a break. Release some solo albums, travel the world, get married, have kids...that sort of thing," I explained. "Also, you guys are my best friends. I don't want to risk that friendship over an album."

"So we'd get back together, right?" Drew looked at me questioningly. I grinned and nodded.

"You won't be getting rid of us so easily," I could tell the idea of a solo album was very appealing to Drew. Honestly, I think it was to all of us.

Jack was sitting there, examining her hands. This hurt her a lot, I could tell.

"It's not goodbye, just see you later," I promised. Jack smiled slightly at me. And didn't fool me one bit. I stood up. "Well, I'm gonna go to bed. Goodnight, everyone."

The next morning, our car had vanished. And so had Jack. She had left everything except her bass, wallet, passport and some clothes. And it was then that we knew it was over. Josh was gone by that night, Casey was out before breakfast the next morning, leaving Drew and me. I shut my eyes and sipped my coffee, gazing out on the beach. Drew sat down next to me.

"I get the feeling I'm not going to live here again," I said suddenly, setting my coffee down. Drew nodded silently. Smiling, I turned to face him.

"I love you guys, more than I can say," tears threatened to overflow. Drew grabbed me into a hug and held me tight. It was only when we pulled apart that I could see that he was crying, too.

"Hey, if I ever need a slide guitarist, I know who to call," he smiled before standing up.

"Nah, you're better at slide that me."

Drew looked at me, surprised. I stood up and looked at him dead-on.

"One of our problems was that I treated you like someone in the background when I should of considered you an equal. Maybe I was better than you once, but not anymore. Heartache Tonight proves that," I smiled before hugging him one last time. "Now I need you to go write a killer album so the rest of the world can see what I see."

Drew grinned as he turned around. An hour later, he was gone. The house was creepily quiet. I silently packed my bags and took them downstairs. My guitars and an amp followed. Smiling, I walked through the house one last time.

The kitchen; how many times had Casey tried to cook? The pool; how many times had Jack tackled me in there? The living room; how quickly had Drew grown and how much of it had I missed? The dining room; how many times had Josh woken me up from that spot when I had stayed up too late writing?

The basement. Memories washed over me. So much love and so much fun, yet so many regrets. How isolated had I made myself when I started seeing Paul? How did I let us fall apart?

The piano. My dad helping me find middle C for the first time. What would he think of this? What would Julia think of this?

Lost in memory, I let my fingers brush over the keys, finding notes. Without realizing it, I started to sing.

"Look at us, baby, up all night, tearing our love apart," Drew hitting me, the yelling, the hurt.

"Aren't we the same two people who live through years in the dark...ohhhh," A ten-year old Jack. Josh, quiet in the corner. Drew, touching a guitar for the first time. Casey, blowing up a beaker.

"Every time I try to walk away, something makes me turn around and stay," First Jack. Then Josh. Then Casey. Then Drew. Jack hadn't even bothered to say goodbye...

"And I can't tell you why..." Why was I here, playing this piano? Everyone else was gone.

"When we get crazy, it just ain't right...Boy, I get lonely too," God, I missed Paul. I guess I'll be seeing him a lot more often.

"You don't have to worry, just hold on tight, 'cause I love you..." I loved all of them, everyone who's ever stepped in this house. Almost no one knew we lived here...it was our place of solitude, how we stayed relatively normal.

"Nothing's wrong as far as I can see. We make it harder than it has to be," but there was something wrong. For the first time, we were dealing with egos. And we couldn't do it. Not yet.

"And I can't tell you why, no baby...I can't tell you why," Why couldn't I? Why couldn't I let them go? Wasn't this all my idea?

"No, no, baby, I can't tell you why...I can't tell you why. I can't tell you why," And then, as I slid my fingers off the keyboard, I realized why. I loved them too much. But now I had to let them go. It all fit into place. All I had to do was find the strength to walk away.

The bench scraped against the floor as I slid back and stood up. Stairs, hall, door. All I needed to do was just go away. Pick up my stuff, walk down the drive. But I couldn't help one last look back. There were many memories I would take with me from that house. But they were done, their time has come. Turning, I let the darkness claim me as I walked away from the house I would never again call my home.

**Yes, lots of angst. It gets better, though. Promise. Anyway, reviews make me do dances with sunshine and rainbows and unicorns and skittles. So review. But flames make me go over to Leaf's house so I can borrow her emo corner to cry in. So don't flame. BYEEEEEEEEEEEEE!**

**Leaf: There are schpidersh in derr... =) **

**Ali: Oh, I hate you...**

**Leaf:I LOVE YOU TOO, NEE-SAN!**

**Ali: Yes, we are like this in real life. Anyway, BYE.**

**Leaf:^^ Now...TO THE CORNER, AUTHOR-LADY!**


	18. Take It Easy

**Okay, I know this is late. School happened. And from now on, updates are Thursdays. Which was my schedule from chapter one...not that I followed it ^-^. This is a colab with Leaf_The_Muddy_Stormbringer, who sat with me and helped write three-quarters of this chapter. And helped generate a LOT of ideas. Anyway, here it is. Song of the week is Take It Easy. Not my favorite Eagles song, (used that one for chapter 1, kicking myself for it now) but still kicks One Direction's ass. And this is the first chapter for this story that isn't from Ali's POV. And she was just added in at the end...Ali ain't happy right now.**

**Disclaimer: No. Just no.**

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER INVOLVES SOME DRUG USE**

Jack was scared. The Eagles were her everything…now what? Ali, Casey, Drew, Josh…Gone. All gone. So here she was. Driving. So far it had been something like ten hours. Something like that. Driving across the country in this godforsaken car, just trying to push everything away and _run_.

It wasn't until she just about reached Nevada when she realized she hadn't even bothered to say good-bye. She could practically see the look on Ali's face when she awoke to an empty driveway. The hurt, mixed with confusion and pain. Then Casey, shocked. They would all be shocked. Just not her. Ali knew her too well for that. Not that that would make any of this easier. But this was no time for second thoughts. Can't look back, never look back.

"Damn," she growled as she glanced at the gas monitor. Practically running on fumes. The sun threatened to appear, dyeing the horizon a deep scarlet, like a gash running through the earth as she came to a gas station. Still cursing under her breath, she shoved the nozzle into her car and waited for the tank to fill. Her stomach growled threateningly and she realized she hadn't eaten since breakfast. Time for Twinkies…

The gas stopped pumping and Jack paid. Her stomach roared again, making clear the fact that it needed food. Groaning, she made her way into the diner. A disinterested teenage guy was sitting at the counter. It was obvious there were many places he'd rather be right then.

"Coffee, black please," Jack muttered to him. The guy nodded and set to brewing a cup. She contemplated getting a Twinkie stash for the road, but her instincts told her to combine gas stops and eating breaks when she needed to. This narrowed it down to around twice a day and spending the night in truck stops. Whoopie-freaking-doo…

_Six Months Later…_

Jack smiled slightly as she straightened up from hours of work. Wheat was in, work was done…time to get the hell out of here.

The rusty, red flat-bed Ford was her home. After a few days of driving, she had reached Texas, traded her car in and didn't look back. Traveling around, trading work for a bed and some food. Simple, no emotions, no strings attached. Easier that way. Emotions made life too hard, too complicated. Best to leave them alone.

The fact that every time she saw a little kid, she saw Robin and every time she saw a blonde she saw…no. Not going to say her name. It hurt too badly.

Mattress in the back, pillows and blankets in the front seat. Some brown paper bags filled with food. Home sweet home.

It only took a few minutes to find a vacant lot she could spend the night. Grabbing a pillow and a blanket, she stretched out in the back, stars above her. The Milky Way swirling overhead. So free, so unconfined…

"'ello, Jack," A voice said. Jack shot up, automatically reaching for her taser. Oh yeah, the police had confiscated it after their last run in, a few shots of whisky too many.

"What are you doing here?" her voice was strained, fighting for control over her swirling emotions. That voice, after so long…

"Didn't expect to find you here," Ringo smiled bemusedly, stepping up to the truck. Jack scowled, suddenly aware of her tangled hair and the fact she hadn't bathed for close to a month now.

"Didn't expect to get found," Jack muttered, climbing out of the truck. Ringo raised an eyebrow, truly hearing the beginnings of a southern accent. From her flannel shirt to stubborn stance, she most certainly looked the part.

"You've changed," he observed, hooking his thumbs into his pockets as he glanced up.

"For the better?" her eyes sparkled with just the slightest hint of mirth, underscoring her fear of the past coming back to bite her.

"Haven't decided yet," Ringo further analyzed the sky. Jack followed his gaze, noticing his fascination with the Milky Way in particular.

"Like the view?" she smirked. Ringo nodded. "How'd you find me?"

"A nomadic farm hand with no phone, no home and a pick-up truck? All I had to do was ask," Ringo smiled at her.

"Why?" Jack's gaze went back up to the stars.

"We need your help. It's about Josh…"

_Las Vegas, Nevada_

Heroin flew through Josh's system as he ran down the alleyway. Sirens wailed in the distance as footsteps followed him. But they couldn't catch him. He had something they didn't. Those needles filled with a white substance, the substance that made it so he couldn't get caught.

He jumped over a garbage bin. They weren't far behind, but there had to be some way to escape—there was always some way.

Turning a corner, he was greeted by a pick-up truck. A shadowy figure sat in the driver's seat.

"Hop in," a familiar voice said as the door opened. Josh hesitated, looking behind him first. He didn't have much time. Running, he got in the car before passing out.

The room was dim and the bed was soft. Josh sat up, looking around. He was in a hotel room and, to his surprise, Jack was sitting in the corner.

"You aren't that hard to find, are you?" she gazed at him with a mix of disappointment, worry, and longing. She was always close to him, whether it was noticeable or not.

Josh just moaned, still not feeling up to talking. He needed another hit, looking at his backpack with longing.

"Don't even think about it," she said. "Don't do this anymore." Jack's tone had gone far down and deep.

Josh just looked at her. How could he stop? This drug had replaced the band, had replaced her. But here she was…why? Why complicate things?

Jack was silent after that, just waiting for him to say something. Anything.

"Why?" Josh croaked. "Why did you come back?"

"Because I care about you," she spoke evenly. Jack walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

"You…want me to get clean," the truth was still sinking into his drug-fogged state.

"Mm...yeah. Jus' come with me, you won't have to face anyone else until you're ready."

"How?"

"Trust me, Josh."

"That's what got me here in the first place."

"Well try again. Just try." she let some cold tears roll down her cheeks. Any other time they wouldn't have come. Any other time she would've blinked them back or brushed them out of sight before anyone noticed.

"How do you know I'll go with you?"

"Because you're crying too."

_Three weeks later_

Withdrawal is a bitch. A massive, evil biting bitch. But Josh made it. With Jack by his side every step of the way, he had made it.

So that's how the twosome ended up in the back of Jack's truck, staring at the stars in Texas.

"Wow…can't believe I missed this in Vegas," Josh smiled. Since he quit drugs, he had become happier, stronger and healthier.

"More like missed it anywhere in any city. Ye never really notice stars like these unless you're in the middle of nowhere. Then they come out." Ah, Jack. Current voice of wisdom.

"You have an accent," Josh noticed, looking at her. "I just noticed."

"Yeah…remind me not to lose it, tis good for annoying people if I make it more noticeable."

Josh laughed, "Yeah, I can see that."

They traveled Texas for a few more days before Josh found it. An old, used, scrappy bass. No amp, no glam…just the instrument. He knew instantly that Jack would love it.

And she did. Although she didn't tell Josh about the songs she had written during their six months apart.

It was around then that they decided to find the rest of the band. So they got the big book of road maps and started driving north.

Drew, in the meantime, had moved to Ontario to work on a solo album. He was almost done when he heard a knock on the door of his apartment.

"Sweater vests? Really?" greeted him as he opened the door to reveal two of his bandmates.

"Jack! Josh!" he was shocked. Just shocked. "You have an accent!"

"Love how that's the first thing you notice," Josh muttered as Jack tackle-glomped the poor soul. Of course they still hugged after she let up, though.

"You're not allowed to talk, Mr. Canadian," Jack laughed.

"Eh!" he snapped as Josh lost it. Drew turned to him. "And I don't suppose you've picked up one!"

"No, and there's no need to shout," Josh grinned in that trademark smart-ass way of his. Drew growled something under his breath about gun-slinging Americans as he got up to fetch some tea.

"So tell me, do you guys really eat nothing but doughnuts and moose meat?" Jack asked innocently. Drew shot her a glare.

"I hate you."

"Thanks, I missed you too!"

Needless to say, the next time the truck left, there were three people with Jack camped out in the truck bed.

Casey had made his way to New Jersey after they left. He was working on a solo album as well. Just finished, in fact. So he was relaxing as Jack barged in, declaring "_Drew's Canadian!" _at the top of her voice. Which, of course, caused Casey to shoot some soda out of his nose.

"How did you get in?" he sputtered, wiping his face.

"We've been living together since you were eighteen. I know where you keep your spare keys," Josh smiled, following her in. Drew just shook his head and smiled.

"And you picked up an accent!" Jack grinned gleefully as she sat down next to him. "What are the odds Ali speaks British now?"

"What? Casey confused. Casey very confused…" he stammered. Drew smirked at the look on his face.

"Don't worry, I felt the same way," Drew elbowed him as the doorbell rang. Casey opened the door and hugged the person standing there.

"Lin, this is Jack, Drew and Josh. Guys, this is Linda Eastman. She's been helping me with my album," Casey grinned. Josh and Jack waved while Drew looked shocked. Jack snickered. God knows she knew Drew well enough to see when he had a crush. Linda blushed slightly and waved quietly, gaze lingering on Drew.

Casey raised an eyebrow at Jack, who smirked back.

"Drew, why is your face all red?" she asked innocently. Drew scowled at her and blushed even more while Casey snickered.

So that was how Casey and Linda ended crammed in the Ford, heading south once again.

"Take it down, pass it around, 29 bottles of beer on the wall..." Casey and Jack were singing from the back. Drew glanced at Linda and pantomimed shooting himself, getting a giggle out of her. Josh rolled his eyes and focused on the road.

The fire was bright and the guitars were tuned. Baked beans and marshmallows were consumed and more laughter was in order.

"Well, I feel left out," Ali pouted as she walked around the car, guitar slung over her shoulder. Her pout quickly gave way to a grin as she embraced Casey, who happened to be closest.

"Ali!" Jack yelled, tackling her. "You sound all British!"

"And you sound all redneck," Ali laughed, shoving her best friend off of her.

"All of us have accents now. Except Josh," Jack grinned as she stood up and went back to the fire.

Ali looked at Josh questioningly.

"I had...other things on my mind," he explained. Ali's face sank.

"You didn't..." she was cut off by his nod.

"Without Jack, I wouldn't be here."

Ali grabbed Josh and just about broke his ribs in a hug, which he returned.

"Methinks six months was enough time to cool off," Ali smiled, sitting down and noticing Linda. "Who's she?"

Cries of "Linda" and "Drew's girlfriend" rang through the air. Ali raised an eyebrow at Drew, noticing his blush.

"Linda Eastman," she introduced herself and extended a hand to Ali. Ali grinned and grabbed her into a hug.

"A friend of Casey's is a friend of mine. Welcome to the family," she grinned before letting a bit of mischief slip on her face. "And that goes double for a girlfriend of Drew's."

Linda muttered something about not liking him and suddenly became very interested in her shoes.

Well, everyone sat down and Ali grabbed some food.

"So, what have you been up to?" Drew asked Ali as he poked the fire with a burnt stick he had found.

"Solo stuff, got to know John and Julian better, spent lots of time with Paul...that sort of thing," Ali smiled before taking a bite of hot dog. "What about you guys?"

Everyone else described their exploits over the past seven months. It didn't take long for talking to become singing and for guitars to come out. Seven months of creative suppression came threw as Jack showed a baseline she had written. Drew and Ali's guitars clicked, welcoming Casey into the fold as well. Josh had a mini drum kit, so they set that up too. Jack grinned and counted off.

"Well, I'm running down the road, tryin' to loosen my load, I got seven women on my mind...four that wanna own me, two that wanna stone me, one, see she's a friend of mine..." Drew grinned, leaning against the truck, cockiness in every move. Ali and Casey exchanged looks. No way he didn't like Linda. They both suppressed laughs as they joined in.

"Take it easy, take it easy. Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy," Ali leaned back and nudged Jack, grinning at her friend.

"Lighten up while you still can and don't even try to understand. Just find a place and make your stand and take it easy," Drew glanced at Casey, subconsciously signaling for him to take the next verse. Casey was caught off-guard but he quickly made up for his hesitation.

"Well, I'm standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, and such a fine sight to see. It's a girl, my lord, in a flat-bed Ford, slowin down to take a look at me," Casey glanced at Ali, who could take a hint as she joined in.

"Come on, baby, don't say maybe...I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me," Ali grinned and ran with the next bit. "We may lose and we may win, but we'll never be here again, so open up, I'm climbin' in, so take it easy..."

Drew then launched into a guitar solo, winking at Linda, who blushed. Ali rolled her eyes and backed him up, nudging Josh with her foot as she did so. Upon his questioning glance, she moved her head, as if asking him if he was going to sing.

Josh was grinning like an idiot as he sang, "Well, I'm running down a road, trying to loosen my load, got a world of trouble on my mind. Looking for a lover that won't blow my cover, she's so hard to find..."

"Take it easy, take it easy. Don't let the sound of your wheels make you crazy," Jack's turn. "Come on baby, don't say maybe, I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me."

Drew, Casey and Ali ooh-ed in the background as Jack sang "Oh, we got it easy...we oughta take it easy..."

And the song was whipped away by the desert, a memory. A beloved, sweet memory.

"God, I missed you guys," Ali laughed as she leaned back. They all fell asleep in a giant mass of tangled bodies that night, once again a family.

**Okay, opinions? I didn't get ANY reviews for last chapter...which made me sad. Thank Leaf for making me write this. So comments make me really want to update. No comments put me in a funk. Your choice *pressurepressurepressure*...seriously, review. Love you all to bits, goo-byeeeee!**


	19. Love Will Keep Us Alive

**Oh, lordie...it has been a while, hasn't it? Turns out teachers like holding back for a week before handing out an unholy amount of homework. And I bombed a math test. And my brother has a school assignment that needs the computer. And the sibs broke my laptop. And it turns out I have ballet on Thursdays. So the update date has now been changed to Sunday. Should be easier for all parties.**

**Well, hellish circumstances aside, I also had Writer's Block and felt little motivation to write. Why? The downright depressing amount of reviews I've been getting. Maybe I've been a bit spoiled with such a fantastic audience, but it's like all you guys have evaporated. I know for a fact that people here read this story, so one review (thanks Starkiller24) and Leaf is a bit depressing for me...**

**Anywho, enough about me. This story is about to live up to it's teen rating. I'm gonna start swearing more. There are also going to be a LOT of drugs, due to the fact that 1965 is ending in this chapter. From here on, we're going to be seeing a lot more of John. And a LOT lot more high John. So if this bugs you, sorry.**

**DISCLAIMER: I have not been using these past 3 weeks trying to own the Beatles or the Eagles. Sorry, folks!**

Snow fell over the city, coating everything in a layer of flawless white. It was New Year's Eve, and so 1965 would draw to a close. It had been quite a year.

A smile touched my face as Paul wrapped an arm around my waist in the house we now shared. I silently leaned into his arms and rested my head against his chest.

"I love you, Ali," Paul breathed against my skin. I silently spun around in his arms and rested my forehead against his.

"Love you too," I whispered before touching my lips to his. After breaking for air, I heard a loud complaint issued from Paul's stomach.

"Okay, breakfast then," I laughed, pulling away and dashing downstairs.

"Hey, I wasn't finished yet!" Paul yelled from the balcony.

"Sucks to be you!" I shouted back. Paul groaned, ran back and grabbed me into a kiss. I laughed and kissed him back.

"Well, last breakfast for 1965. What do you want?"

"You."

"Pancakes it is," I laughed, grabbing the griddle. Paul rolled his eyes and sat down at the counter, staring at my hands as they made batter.

Half an hour later, we were sitting at the table with empty plates and a half-filled bottle of syrup.

"Well, what's the plan for tonight?" I asked after grabbing our plates.

"Party at John's. Thought he told you," Paul grabbed the syrup and followed me.

"That implies I was paying attention," I smirked as I shoved the plates into the dishwasher. Paul shook his head and set the syrup in the pantry before grabbing me in an embrace.

"Paul, I need to get ready. Jack's coming over and I need to get showered," I complained before Paul claimed my lips with his. I kissed back for a minute before extracting myself from Paul's arms and hopping into a shower.

Since the Eagles got back together, we've been recording together but living separately, which was defiantly an improvement. I think that's what did us in, looking back. All of us living on top of each other. No breaks, no chances to blow off a bit of steam. Just pressure building, waiting to blow. And it blew all right.

Currently, Drew was in New York. Probably to be closer to Linda, although he won't admit it. We're counting the seconds until they realize they like each other and just freaking make out already.

Casey's there too, although living in a different apartment. And trying to get Drew and Linda together. And failing.

Jack and Josh both decided to stay in Texas, Josh so he wouldn't be as tempted to relapse, Jack to make sure he didn't. Although I think she's a lost cause now. My best friend is now a hillbilly.

And I'm still in London, living with Paul and taking care of Julian, who is a little hyper kid at three. Needless to say, I love the sucker to bits.

John, however, I'm worried about. It's no secret that the Beatles take uppers and smoke pot. Honestly, I know what it's like in this business and there are worse things they could be doing. Josh is living proof of that. And I'm scared that John's trying them.

One night, I went over to Abbey Road, just to lay down some tracks. John was there, in a studio, high out of his mind. The studio itself had papers scattered over it and John's guitar in pieces in the corner, which still scares me. I still think he had tried crack, although he never admitted it. And, if I'm going to be honest, I never wanted to know. Hearing him say it meant I had lost another person I loved to drugs.

So, if anything else, I'll go to the party just to make sure nothing comes out. Nothing really serious, anyway.

Well, my hair went up in a ponytail with dark blue streaks that matched the dress I put on. Not too low cut or short or anything, but enough that everyone got the impression that I was definatly a rocker. Although I thought the combat boots gave that away.

Paul and I went a few hours early to help Cynthia set up and keep an eyeball on Julian. Well, I was going to help and Paul was going to keep John out of the way.

Guitar swirled from John's room when we got there. His bed was unmade and papers were scattered everywhere as I stood in the door and heard him sing under his breath.

"Strawberry fields forever..." he kept his voice down as I sat next to him, shoving papers aside and ignoring the smoke that indicated he had been taking something, most likely illegal.

"So, is this just for Paul's ears or do I get to hear, too?" I smirked, elbowing him. John jumped up, surprised.

"I thought I was being quiet," he muttered, sitting up. Yep, definatly a bit high.

"I know your style anywhere," I side-hugged him and slid the package of joints out of his pajama pocket. "I thought Cyn didn't like you smoking these things in the house."

"She doesn't. Who are you to judge, anyway?" John snapped, defensively.

"I'm your twin sister," I said simply, standing up and passing the package back to him. "Try to show some discretion."

"I'm John Lennon. What's gonna happen, I'll get busted?" he laughed. I turned around in the doorway.

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Well, three hours later, guests started filtering into the living room, which had been a pain in the arse to clean. Someone hugged me from behind. I squeaked and spun around.

"Keith!" I grinned before hugging the guitarist. When you're hanging around the Beatles, you're bound to run into The Stones at some point. Keith and I had jammed a few times during the six-month break in the Eagles. We have a mutual respect, even though Keith enjoys hitting on me for the sole point of pissing Paul off. But it's okay because both of us know I'm going to cheat on Paul when pigs fly over a frozen hell.

"What, so he gets a hug and I don't?" Mick whined from behind us. I rolled my eyes and hugged him too.

"Where are the rest of the guys?" I asked as we pulled apart. Mick shrugged and I figured they were either recording stuff, late or passed out drunk somewhere. As much as I hoped it wasn't the latter.

Bill , Bryan and Charlie showed up about fifteen minutes later and immediately began hitting the booze, joining their bandmates. I took a shot of gin as well, sipping it slowly. If there is one thing I hate, it's being completely drunk. The lack of control, the inability to form cohesive thoughts...nope. Not for me.

John, on the other hand, was completely pissed and it wasn't even 10:00 yet. Not a good sign. Keith, Charlie and John were lounging on the couch, singing some song, slurring every note as the doorbell rang. I got up to get it and was greeted by my band, plus Linda.

"Well, looks like we're at the right place. Where's John, isn't it his party?" Casey smirked as I crushed them all in a hug.

"John is currently assisting in a rousing version of I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside. Not that you can really tell what it is," I laughed, welcoming them in, pleased to see Josh avoiding the well-stocked minibar like it was on fire. Jack grinned at him and waved at Paul, who was a _lot_ less drunk than he would normally be, although I noticed the joint smoking in his hand. Well, it could be worse.

I glanced at Linda and noticed Drew staring at her. I gave Jack a look. She shook her head and I groaned marginally.

I quickly chugged the remains of my drink, not willing to put the temptation in front of Josh. He noticed and smiled at me.

"Als, I'm sober. You can drink around me," he grinned. I shook my head.

"Thanks, but I don't want to take the chance. Besides, I was almost finished with it," I smiled back. Josh shrugged and sat down.

"What time is it?" Casey leaned forward. I glanced at my watch.

"10:07," I responded before recognizing that look in his eye. "What's your idea?"

It was 11:45 by the time we were done. And the result was pretty damn epic. Everyone contributed, everyone had a blast. We agreed that it was going to be the first single of 1966.

"Hey, Ali, can I talk to you?" Paul appeared by my side and took my hand.

"Sure," I followed him to John's big pool, which was deserted seeing as it was snowing. Paul sat on a wooden bench. I sat next to him and linked hands again.

"What's up?" I asked, shaking my head to get the snow out of my hair.

"Ali, I love you," Paul started. I blinked at him, a bit confused. He needed to get me alone to tell me that? He noticed my semi-befuddled expression and released my hands.

"When I say I love you, I mean I want to be with you forever. Through everything, through all this rock star shit. I want for everyone to know that you're mine and I'm yours."

Paul shook his head, looking nervous. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. And my stomach practically fell through the floor.

"Als, will you marry me?" Paul blinked at me, scared at my response. Gently, I flipped the top off the box to reveal a band of gold, with an emerald sparkling, surrounded by diamonds.

"Emerald. Interesting choice for an engagement ring," whispered before slipping it onto my left ring finger. "Yes, Paul."

The smile that lit up Paul's face was something I will never forget. Same goes for the kiss he grabbed me into.

"I figured you'd like something different," he breathed against my lips. I smiled and kissed him again before standing up.

"Well, then, let's go tell the happy news!" I grinned, kissing him again before turning around.

"Can we save it until everyone's sober?" Paul inquired, standing up too. I thought about it for a second before agreeing.

"Can we go inside anyway? It's freezing out here and I forgot a coat," I smirked. Paul nodded and we went back into the warmth of the house.

Jack glanced at me as I walked in, probably wondering about the stupid smile on my face. Her eyes traveled down my body before resting on my left hand. Eyes bugged out, she looked at me in shock. I grinned and nodded my head. She did another double-take before running over and grabbing me into the worlds tightest hug.

"Paul and I are engaged," I explained to my befuddled bandmates. Josh and Drew looked shocked as Casey and Linda stood up and congratulated me.

"Married?" Drew asked, staring at the wall.

"Yes, married," I rolled my eyes.

"Like daa-da-da-DAAAAAA?" Drew looked at me with big eyes.

"Like daa-da-da-DAAAAAA," I confirmed. Drew got up and grabbed me into the biggest bear hug possible. I hugged him back before getting surprised by Josh, who hugged me from behind.

"Congrads, sis," Josh muttered into my hair. And even I couldn't miss the look he shot at Cyn. Shit. My best friend had a thing for my brother's wife. Double shit.

I raised an eyebrow at Josh and he looked away, blushing furiously. Oh, this is not good...

Paul noticed my face and looked at me questioningly. I was spared having to explain all of this by the drunken countdown from the bar.

"Five, four, three, two, ONE!" John slurred. Paul grabbed me into a fierce kiss as the clocks chimed twelve. I returned the kiss with equal fervor. His tongue slid into my mouth and I gave a soft moan. We pulled back and I brushed his hair out of his eyes.

"Let's go home," I whispered before kissing him again. Paul pulled apart and looked at me.

"Are you not having fun?" he looked worried. I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. It took a second, but it dawned on him what I was offering. Practically dragging my arm out of its socket, he turned for the door. I laughed and waved bye to my band.

Paul was very fast at getting us home. I was actually afraid of crashing a few times. We pulled up to the driveway at record time and dashed inside. As soon as the door slammed shut, Paul had me pinned to the wall, hands all over me.

"Oh, god," I whispered as his hands fell around my waist and he started nibbling at my neck. Paul smiled as he kissed up my jawline.

"Well, I've been very...deprived," he whispered.

"What, with all those groupies? I doubt that," I murmured. Paul pulled back and looked me in the eyes.

"Ali..." he started, remorse in his eyes. I shook my head.

"Paul, I've been on tour too. I know how it is. Just keep it out of the house," I smirked before kissing him and dashing upstairs, flinging my coat aside.

I managed to get to our room before Paul caught up to me. The door slammed shut behind him and he wrapped his arms around my waist, fumbling with the sash that was primarily keeping my dress up. I slid his suit jacket off of his shoulders as he got the knot untied and slowly took the fabric off my shoulders. As the fabric slid down my body, my hand found the light switch and slid down. It all snowballed from there.

C3==

The blanket felt soft against my shoulders, warm...keeping Paul with me. He looked so peaceful sleeping, tawny hair falling over his eyes, small smile touching his face. One arm was clinging to my waist possessively. I didn't mind one bit.

I lay there for another half hour, thinking. Then humming. Then singing under my breath.

"I was standing all alone against the world outside," how distressed I was when George cheated. "You were searching for a place to hide."

I had met Jane once. And didn't like her one bit. She was very clingy. And a bit bitchy. Okay, more than a bit bitchy. She walked around like she owned the place and whined about why "John's little sister" was in the studio. Needless to say, I left very soon after that.

"Lost and lonely, now you've given me the will to survive," After Dad died, Paul gave me a reason to live. He gave me love, love that could help fill the hole Dad left. "When we're hungry, love will keep us alive."

"Don't worry, sometimes you've just gotta let it ride," That was something Paul and Jack had both taught me. Just let go, be free. "The world is changing, right before your eyes."

"Now I've found you, there is no more emptiness inside," I brushed hair from Paul's face. Empty was the opposite of what I was feeling right now. "When we're hungry, love will keep us alive."

Paul's eyes slid open and wrapped his arms around me. "I love you, Ali."

"I love you too, Paul. More than I can say," I whispered against his chest.

"You don't have to," he smiled before lowering his lips to mine.

**I've been wanting to write that for a while, folks :). Well, there was a lot of foreshadowing there. See how much you can find! And tell me in a review! That could be fun :). Well, see you next Sunday! (promise I won't procrastinate)**


	20. Learn To be Still Revisited

**Oh, boy...I'm officially scrapping the update date. 'cause it don't work. Sorry, people!**

**Well, this is a short, un-beta-ed chapter. But I had to get something up. Sorry if the quality is crap and sorry it took eons to write. Basically, we're learning about the Diary of Anne Frank in language arts, and I'm doing a side project on the Holocaust. It just feels wrong to try to write a chapter of some fan fiction after learning about how six million innocent people were mass-murdered. So chapters may be a bit slow.**

**And it's birthday month. I'm a year older, in case you were wondering. So is my brother. My boyfriend will be in three days. And my sister a week after that. So...yes, contributing factors.**

**Also, I'm kind of out of good Eagles songs. With one huge exception (dare you to guess it!). So, anyway, I'm just going through the list again. And I'll talk about the song a bit, just to give a frame of reference.**

**Learn to be Still is probably my favorite song ever written. Ever. In the history of the universe. It's also the most underrated Eagles song out there. It was originally a studio track off of the Hell Freezes Over reunion concert CD. The song was supposedly written a hour before the show. Either way, they performed it in its entirety that night. Although rough around the edges, it was all there. Which is cool. For me, the most epic part is the lyric. "You thought you could be satisfied, but you never will..." Just stunning. I adore this song so much.**

**Also, I made original cover art for this story, along with Running and my own profile pic. It should be up by next Saturday. Unless stuff happens, which very well might. Anyway, if anyone wants original covers for stories, PM me. I'd love the challenge. Just know it may take a while.**

**Anyway, I'm gonna shut up and let you read now.**

"Learn to be still," I sang under my breath, strumming my guitar gently. The song had been written a long time ago, then forgotten, then remembered. With Drew's help, we polished it and made it ready for an album. I shook my head at the thought of me back then. So young, so naive...I thought I knew pain. Oh, how wrong I was.

I knew nothing then. I hadn't felt true anger, true agony, true sadness, true loneliness. Or true happiness, true joy, true love. So much had changed when I welcomed John into my life. And I wouldn't miss it for the world.

"Hey," Paul breathed into my ear. Once, I would of jumped, but not anymore. I trusted him now, more than I would ever trust anyone ever again.

"Hey," I smiled and turned around. "Can you believe it was a year and a half ago since we met?"

"And now we're engaged," Paul looped his hands around my waist. I leaned back into his embrace and kissed him lightly.

"And now we're engaged," I repeated with a laugh. Paul moved his kisses down my neck as his hands slid up my shirt. I pulled back with a laugh. "I'm working!"

"Then let me help so we can go to bed," Paul got up and went to the piano. I shook my head.

"You're hopeless," I sighed as I passed him the sheet of lyric.

"And you love it," he grinned back. I rolled my eyes and demonstrated the guitar part.

"I think a flat may sound better there," Paul pointed out as I reached toward the peak of the song. I tried the fill again, changing the note and adding a sharp. Sure enough, it fixed the chord issues.

"It's just another day in paradise," I began, changing some of the notes so that the singing was lower, closer to talking. "As you stumble to your bed."

"Give anything to silence the voices ringing in your head," Paul picked up his bass as I sang the next line, following my lead.

"You thought you could find happiness just over that green hill," I arched the note, curving around the guitar before dropping again. "You thought you would be satisfied, but you never will."

Paul and I exchanged looks before continuing, letting the pause grow. "Learn to be still."

I slid my fingers back on the fretboard, changing the notes and transitioning into the next verse.

"We're like sheep without a shepherd, we don't know how to be alone. So we wander 'round this desert, wind up following the wrong gods home," I look up to Paul, absolute trust in my eyes. There was no other soul in this world that I could do this with.

"But the flock cries out for another, and they keep answering that bell," I turned my head away. "And one more starry-eyed messiah meets a violent farewell."

Eyes shut, voice hooks. I don't need to look at Paul to know when he'll start singing again. "Learn to be still."

"Now the flowers in your garden, they don't smell so sweet, so sweet..." my voice went up an octave. "Maybe you've forgotten the heaven lying at your feet. Yeah, yeah yeah..."

The guitar wrapped around the base, lending a stronger feel. I made a mental note to switch that to electric in studio.

I switched back to the gentle strumming and lowered my voice. This was my favorite bit.

"There are so many contradictions, and all these messages we send keep asking, how do I get out of here? Where do I fit in? Even if your world is torn and shaken, even if your heart is breakin'," I turned to my guitar. "It's waiting for you to awaken, and someday you will learn to be still."

Paul harmonized as I slowed down slightly, nearing the end as I add something new.

"Just keep on running, just keep on running," I sang, getting quieter and quieter. "Just a-keep on running..."

I strummed twice and fell silent. Paul wrapped his arms around me and I leaned back into his chest.

"Done?" he smiled into my hair. I turn around to meet him.

"Done," I confirmed before kissing him passionately, raking my fingers through his hair. "Bed, upstairs, now."

Paul had the world's biggest smile on his face as he grabbed my arm and ran for the stairs.

**And we're back to fluff for a bit. If anyone has any scenarios they'd like to see, leave them in a comment and I'll make a chapter for it. So, the norm...review, review, review. I roast marshmallows on all flames...feel free to bring some! So, love you all, thank you for bearing with me for this long!**


	21. Pretty Maids all in a Row Revisited

**Okay, I officially need to update more. And have a day to aim for. Jesus Christ, I suck at this :P. So, I'm just going to do mass posts Friday night. I might update everything, I might vanish off the face of the earth. Depends on my mood. But I should be updating more because it's NoSchoolVember, so I will have more time on my hands. I'm also starting another story, so that'll be up next Friday as well :). Jeez, I have a lot of projects...**

**Anywho, I'm also welcome to ideas about stuff I can do with my minions that live in my twisted brain ):). Part of my issue is that I keep getting block on this story due to lack of ideas. So fun, entertaining winter ideas are welcome. I was thinking having a skiing chapter...**

**Also, Is Ali an annoying Mary-Sue? I know she is one in a big way, I'm just wondering how bad. Because if she's annoying, I need to change something. I try to write stories that I want to read, and this one has been bouncing in my brain for about six months now. I get a LOT of ideas floating through the wierdo place I refer to as my brain, so it's a matter of which ones are worth getting down onto the proverbial paper. I'd just like some feedback. Thanks.**

**Well, what can I say about Pretty Maids All In A Row? It's the song I used to fall asleep to as a small child. I used to think of Joe Walsh as crouton head when I saw this performed in Hell Freezes Over. (Do NOT ask me why, I was freaking four) It's pretty, I love the slide guitar solo, listen to it, love it, nuff said.**

**Well, I'm gonna shut up now. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Teenage girl. Stuck in room. Hell no.**

"Remind me, why are we doing this again?" I asked Jack as she tried to untangle several nets from the back of her truck.

"Because it's fun," she muttered back. "Come on you little..."

She proceeded to swear at the mess as Drew and I exchanged looks. It felt about 15 degrees on the dinky beach we were standing on, thigh-high waders on our legs and bundled in our thickest coats, which wasn't doing much to block the ocean wind.

Oh, it may be beautiful but I hate Oregon so much right now.

Jack passed out nets and walked to the water.

"What, we actually get in?" Josh looked at her like she was insane. I smirked...he never was one for cold.

"Yes, we get in," Jack stomped into the ocean. I followed with Drew as Josh looked at the water distrustfully. Casey grinned and grabbed his arm, dragging the poor guy in.

Jack demonstrated how to dip the net into the water. I mimicked her motions and was rewarded with some seaweed, which was entertaining to drop down Josh's shirt.

After a while, though, we lost the laughing mood. Our fingers were frozen to the sides of the net and water had long since invaded the supposed safety of our boots.

"Are we having fun yet?" Casey yelled over the wind as I dreamed of camping out with Paul. Boy, was that better than this...

"Yes!" Jack yelled over the waves as her net yielded a catch of yet more seaweed.

"Well, it's good that we'll be set if we ever want to make vegetarian sushi," I tried to joke and was rewarded by Jack's catch thrown in my face as everyone else laughed.

We somehow managed to survive for another half hour before Josh yelled something rather profane to the fish and stormed out. Drew, Casey and I followed quickly, leaving Jack to yell something that was lost to the waves and follow us.

"That sucked," Casey stated as he rung about a cup of water out of his sweatshirt. I agreed as I silently thanked god that I had the foresight to forgo dye for the day.

Even Jack eventually agreed that that afternoon was a complete bust over a cup of soup we purchased from the local clam chowder vendor.

"Hey, are you the Eagles?" the daughter of the man who ran the store suddenly asked us.

"That's us," I smiled at the little blonde girl, noticing the guitar pick she wore on a loop of leather around her neck.

"I love your songs!" she grinned as she looked at me shyly.

"Oh, Ali's got a fan," Josh smirked as he lifted the girl into the booth we were eating in.

"What's your name?" I asked with a reassuring smile.

"Adaria," she swung her feet under the booth and blushed. I just about spat out my food.

"No way, that's my middle name!" I choked out. Judging by her reaction, Adaria had no clue either.

"Really?" She looked delighted as she analyzed my face.

"Yep. Alihandria Adaria Lennon," I swallowed my mouthful of chowder.

"Can you guys sing something?" she blinked at us shyly. I blinked at the the guys, gauging their reactions. Josh shrugged, Casey grinned, Drew blushed and Jack got a very evil look on her face.

"Sure!" I wiped my mouth with a napkin. "What's your favorite song?"

"I really like the one with the ooohs!" Jack laughed from behind her hand and looked at me for the translation.

"Like this?" I sang the fill for Pretty Maids All In A Row. She nodded excitedly.

"How you got that out of "the one with the ooohs" is beyond me," Josh shook his head. I kicked him from under the table and glanced at Jack.

"Hey, at least she picked one we can sing solo," Jack smirked, essentially giving the okay.

Casey did a silent countdown and Jack started singing.

"Hey, there, how are ya, it's been a long time," I joined in the second bit. "Seems like we've come a long way."

"But my, do we learn so slow. And heroes, they come and they go. And leave us behind..." Casey and Drew joined in. "As if we're supposed to know why."

"Oh tell me why," Jack sang over us as Josh tapped his spoon against the table to keep the beat.

"Why do we give our hearts to the past, yeah. And why must we give up so fast..." Josh harmonized.

"And all you wishing-well fools with your fortunes. Someone should send you a rose," Jack and I sang. Casey, Josh and Drew joined in for the rest of it. "With love from a friend, it's nice to hear from you again."

The song peaked, all of our voices rising. "And the storybook comes to a close, gone are the ribbons and bows. Things to remember, places to go..."

I gestured for Adaria to sing along for the last bit. "Pretty maids all in a row. Oh, oh oh, oh..."

As we stopped Adaria started clapping and I got the feeling that we just made her year.

And, as we were walking out, when I handed her a pick I forced the rest of the band to sign, I silently changed that to decade.

**Well, reviews make me happy. And make me want to update. So review. Flamers meet the wrath of Jack, Reviewers get hugs from our boys. I love you all, see you next Friday!**


	22. Hotel California revisited: PART ONE ):)

**Well, it's Friday! Sorry this didn't get updated last week, I decided now was a good time to shake things up. Again. So, major plot point this chapter. And a cliffhanger. YAY!**

**OMG 102 REVIEWS HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT WOW I HAVE A POTTY-MOUTH! Seriously, thank you all soooo much! *hugs all reviewers*  
**

**On a semi-related tangent, I'm having sleepover with Leafie. We have shugar, her new iPhone *jealousjealousjealous* and each other. We're fucking doomed. And it's also NOSCHOOLVEMBER! So I have this entire week to write. So if I don't update next Friday, I'm either sick, dead or internet's out. **

**Leafy: Also, the word of the day is "F-bomb". And you'd better get your butt in gear, Als, I love this story -..**

**Ali: LOL that face looks like Madonna's chest :)**

**Leafy: Oh, very mature, nee-chan..**

**Ali: Oh, go cry with your boyfriend in the emo corner. WITH THE SPIDERS**

**Leafy: *locks you in the trombone locker* A-HOLE! =D**

**Ali: That's smart-ass to you. Sorry if none of this makes sense. If you really want to know the inside jokes, send me a PM because I am NOT explaining them here.**

**Anywhosit, that basically summarizes this week's author notes. Oh, I'm also getting a Stargate Atlantis fic up. So if you've seen it, read the fic. If you haven't seen it, see it and read the fic. Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: NO, NO AND I'LL EVEN SAY IT IN SPANISH FOR YOU. NO!**

"Take it down, pass it around, 16 bottles of milk on the wall," I grinned at Jack as we sang the kid-friendly version of the sanity-questioning song. Not that it really mattered if it was clean or not, seeing as Robin, Aeri and Julian were passed out in the back. Josh was driving, Casey was snoring in shotgun, John looked like he was stoned, Paul was staring out the window and Drew and Linda were flirting.

"Are you done yet?" Josh turned from the front and glared at me.

"Are we at 0 bottles of milk?"

"No."

"Then we aren't done yet. 16 bottles of milk on the wall, 16 bottles of milk..." Jack smirked and joined in as Josh muttered something about needing a coffee.

This pretty much set the tone for the rest of the car trip. God only knows why the rest of the group didn't kill us.

"Ali, I am never getting into a car with you again," John groaned as he walked out, obviously stiff.

"Oh, come on. What's a car trip without some singing?" I laughed, grabbing my bag.

"A much happier one when you don't sing 99 bottles of milk on the wall. _Five times_," John glared at me as I smiled.

Well, the hotel honestly looked more like someone's house than a hotel. But hey, that's Scotland for you.

The inside was actually rather comfortable. The fireplace was roaring and dinner was on the table. The woman who ran the hotel was an aging widow named Anne who had two grown children helping out. They had lived here all of their lives. You couldn't help but to feel welcomed here.

"Well, Alihandria, what do you do for a living?" Anne asked, grabbing the salt and shaking it over the thick stew we were eating. John and Paul looked shocked that she didn't know who they were. I just smirked and shook my head at them.

"We're in a band. Jack, Casey, Drew, Josh and myself are the Eagles and John and Paul are half of a band called the Beatles. You may of heard of them," I smiled. Anne shook her head.

"Maybe Rob or Sarah have heard of them, but not me. I don't get out much," she explained.

"Well, that's a nice change," Casey grinned from further down the table. I rolled my eyes and put another spoonful of soup in my mouth.

"So, you and Paul are engaged then?" Anne smirked, looking at me. I raised my eyebrows at her.

"How on earth do you know that?" Paul looked shocked and I rolled my eyes at him.

"You have the look of a girl in love. And that ring on your finger proves I'm right," Anne looked closely at my hand.

I didn't eat much and was actually feeling a bit sick, but I just smiled and helped with the little ones.

"Aunt Ali, can I ask you something?" Julian was standing in the corner of the room Paul and I were sharing. He was in his pajamas and was supposed to be in bed.

"Of course, Jules. What is it?" I scooted over to make room for him on the bed.

"Does my daddy still love me?" he seemed a bit...scared, almost. I hugged him close and we just sat there for a few minutes.

"Julian, your daddy will always love you. No matter what," I brushed a few strands of hair out of his eyes. Julian hugged me again.

"But he almost never comes home. He says mean things to Mommy. And sometimes he comes home and he acts all strange and smells really funny," Julian said into my chest. I made a mental note to kill John later.

"No matter what, Jules. He'll always be your daddy. Even if he doesn't always act it," I held him for a while, not saying another word until he fell asleep. Then I picked him up and carried him to his room. I tucked him in bed, kissed him and as I turned around to leave, I heard him whisper something.

"I love you, Aunt Ali."

"I love you too, Jules."

I shut the door as quietly as I could before storming downstairs.

"John, what the fuck is wrong with you?" I growled. John looked at me, startled by my use of language.

"What are you talking about?" John seemed a bit alarmed.

"Julian just came to me and asked if his daddy still loved him. John, you're a father. You can't just go off, get stoned, come home, yell at Cyn and go to bed. You married her and had him for better or worst. You _can't_just act like they fucking don't exist!" I was yelling now, not that I really cared. "Jesus christ, John. You can't just act like you're on fucking tour with a little kid at home! You just can't!"

"Ali..." Paul wrapped an arm around my shoulder and helped me to sit down, wiping a tear from my cheek. I didn't have a clue as to why I was crying.

There was a very pregnant pause as I curled up into a ball and rested my head on my knees.

"Jesus, Ali. When was the last time you had your period?" Casey laughed, trying to ease the tension. Wait a minute. When _was_the last time I had my period.

"Oh shit."

**AND THE BOMB DROPS. Sorry that was short, part two goes up next Friday. Promise. Trust me, Leaf will kick my ass if I don't. So, review as normal, we roast random stuff on flames and glomp the nice people. Middle-people get a cookie. So, cheers! Bai!**


	23. Hotel California Revisited: PART TWO ):)

**Well, I need to drop bombs like that on you lot more often. That was the most reviews I've ever gotten for one chapter in anything. Thank you all. So, short chapter. Sorry. I would of felt awful if I had just left you guys hanging for two weeks. Jeez, I barely even used the song. Oh well :P**

**On a semi-related note, I need ideas for what to name Ali and Paul's spawn. Hell, I don't even know what gender it's gonna be! So I'll take any ideas. Just PM or leave them in a review.**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Not mine.**

Half an hour later, I was sitting on the bed, curled up in the fetal position in utter shock. The test had only confirmed what I already knew. I was pregnant. Holy crap. I was going to have a child. A little Julian of my own.

What was I going to do? The press were going to have a field day. We were going on tour in a month. An album needed to be written. And god knows what Paul's plans were. We should of been more careful...

"Well, you've most certainly put a wrench in things, little one," I whispered to my child. Sighing, I stood up and flipped the radio on.

"There's plenty of room at the Hotel California," my voice sang back to me. I smirked and leaned back. I would never get used to hearing us on the radio.

"Such a lovely place, such a lovely face," I sang along, gazing out the window. A hazel eye gazed back at me as my breath fogged up the window. I was 24 years old. How on earth was I supposed to be a mother? How could I possibly guide another being through life when my mother had left me? And then died when I was 17. I didn't have a goddamned clue as to how the hell I was going to do this.

Mirrors on the celing. Well, life was never straightforward. How was I going to do this? The question would not get out of my head. I just don't know how to be a mother.

I flipped the radio off and curled up into a ball. Me. A mom. A freaking mom.

"Hey," John sat next to me. I looked at him and smiled slightly.

"Hey," I played with the comforter, my voice barely a whisper.

"How are you doing?" John wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"I don't know. John, I'm going to be a mom. I can't take care of a goldfish, let alone a child!" I groaned, leaning into his torso. He rubbed my shoulders and sat there for a few seconds.

"Als, you're a lot more responsible than we were when Cyn and I had Julian. And you're older. And you and Paul are getting married. You're actually pretty prepared," John smiled at me.

"Still. A mom. What the hell am I going to do?"

"You'll do the same thing you do with Robin. And Aeri. And Julian. You're great with kids and you'll make a brilliant mother," John brushed a few strands of hair out of my face.

"What's going on with you and Cyn?" I asked.

"You're changing the subject. I'm here for you," John let his arms fall.

"I know. And I'm here for you. Now answer the goddamned question," I smirked, leaning back onto my palms.

John sighed before answering, "Lots of shit. One day, everything is fine, the next, everything has gotten fucked up beyond all recognition. Julian is scared of me, Cynthia hates me and I just don't know what the hell I'm going to do!"

"I doubt Cyn hates you. And Julian isn't scared of you," I placed my hand on his arm.

"You haven't seen the way they look at me when we're alone. It hurts, but I don't know how to fix it," John groaned, setting his head in his hands.

"Are you going to get a divorce?"

"Do you think I should?"

"John, you need to do what you need to do. Just remember you have a wife and child to think of too. It's not just about you anymore," I stood up. And began to walk out.

"Hey, Als?" John smirked at my back. I turned around.

"Yeah?"

"Congrads."

C3==

I walked down the hall and found Paul sitting on the sofa in the family room. Slipping my arms around his torso, I set my head on his shoulder.

"Hey, Paul. We're gonna have a baby," I grinned into his neck, my anxiety slowly being replaced by joy.

He responded by standing up, taking me into his arms and kissing me that way that got my knees to feel like liquid.

"Yes, we are. And they're going to be beautiful," Paul whispered against my lips before picking me up and walking us to our room so we could celebrate in private.

**Well, sorry about length again. Anywho, reviewers are amazing, flames are used to roast marshmallows. So review. Love you all, bye!**


	24. Life of Illusion

**Well, here it is. Another fast-written, short leetle sucker. AND I ACTUALLY UPDATED THREE WEEKS IN A ROW BOO-YAH!**

**Sorry, but it must be noted ^-^**

**Anyroad, it's gonna be a while before we meet Ali's spawn. I time-lapsed everything three months, but that's going to be the biggest one for a while. So we get hormonal OCs for a while. Yay.**

**So, there actually isn't all that much going on. I shall shut up and let you read now.**

**Disclaimer: YES, I OWN THE BEST BAND OF ALL TIME. YOU CAUGHT ME. not.**

We finished our vacation in peace before heading back to the real world. During all the hours we spent sitting around, I finally had a plan. The Eagles were going to tour lightly for the next four months before recording an album. Hopefully I wouldn't get too tired. But when had things ever gone well for us?

So that's how I ended up curled in a little ball of misery in the bathroom of a hotel in San Antonio three months later. Morning sickness is a bitch, I can say that much.

"How're you feeling?" Jack asked from the doorway. I looked up at her and gave her the I-have-just-puked-up-my-guts-don't-screw-with-me look. She held up her hands in a defensive gesture and sat next to me.

"You like making trouble don't you?" I asked to my stomach, which had begun to get slightly bigger in the past few weeks. If it got much larger, it would start showing through my clothes. I don't know if the thought thrilled me or scared me.

The week after we got back from vacation, we sent out a press release stating that I was pregnant and due in September. And the response was downright explosive. People I had never met started congradulating me. Some teenage girls sent me hate mail, not that I really cared. There were some people protesting a pregnant woman touring, but I ignored that too, seeing as these people also believed I shouldn't be touring, period.

"Hey, can I get you something?" Jack interrupted my thoughts. I shook my head and set my head on my knees, wishing Paul was there.

The Beatles decided to tour the same time as us, so Paul and John could be with me when I needed them the most. I would be thankful for it later but right then, I was just miserable.

"Sometimes I can't help feeling that I'm living a life of illusion," I sang to myself , hugging my knees even closer to my chest. "And oh why, can't we let it be and see through the hole in this wall of confusion. I just can't help the feeling I'm living a life of illusion."

"What's that?" Josh peered into the door.

"Just a thought. No biggie. Do you guys have a rotation or something to keep me company?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Um...maybe..." Josh looked a bit awkward as he sat next to me.

"Admit it, you would do the same thing!" Jack laughed.

True," I smirked.

"Besides, what would we do without you?" Casey grinned from the corner.

Drew entered with some Coke and nachos and that's where spent the rest of the night. A massive hotel suite and we end up in the bathroom...it's good to know that some things never change.

**Funny thing is that we would actually do that...:) Anyway, reviewers get puppies, flames are used for campfires. So review. Love you all, see you next week!**


	25. As the Heart Breaks

**You are all going to hate me. Epically, totally hate me. And you are right to. I'm ending this story. And not in a good way.**

**Basically, I have a boyfriend. And Ali is the internet version of me. I'm in love with him. So it feels wrong to have Ali with someone else. No, I'm not going to stop writing and yes, there will be a sequel. I love doing this, I just can't do it with me. Sorry if this makes no sense.**

**I have the last chapter written out, so next Friday will be the last one. I have a lot of thank-yous to do :).**

**If you really, really love the Ali/Paul pairing, stop reading here. Go with they live happily ever after, have three kids and are happily in love for all eternity. I won't judge you. It's okay. I love happy endings too. :)**

**Also, for the record, it all ends okay. Don't worry. I'll just let you all read now. Sorry.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Beatles**

Looking back, if I had known the heartache that lay ahead, I wouldn't of been so happy.

The tour flew by, I got huge and we got settled back at our various homes. But something was different, I could tell. Whenever I was with Paul, I got the same feeling as when George was cheating on me.

The clues were subtle, yet they all seemed to head in the same direction. Suddenly, Paul would say he was going to the studio but, according to John, he'd never show. He'd come back happy, but looking very guilty about something. All these love songs would come from the bedroom, but they never seemed to be about me. Call me overbearing, but I knew something was up.

It was April 15th, 1966 when my heart broke truly and completely. I was doing bills. yes, I do my own bills. For some reason, the math soothes me. Anyway, I was flipping through this massive bundle of crap when I stumbled upon a fee for a small apartment on the other side of London made out to James McCartney. I thought it was a mistake. McCartney isn't all that uncommon of a last name...I would just go to the apartment and rectify the error. There was no error.

What I found was Paul and Linda sleeping together. As in, sleeping together, if you get my drift. After Paul got some pants on, he ran out behind me and grabbed my arm as I opened the door to my car.

"Ali..." Paul began. I cut him off.

"Don't talk to me right now. I need to go," I hissed, ripping my arm out of his grip. Oh, this is what it felt to have your heart broken. Not what George did.

"Ali, you're my fiancee!" That got me to turn around.

"Paul, a fiancee is someone you're going to spend the rest of your life with, not a fling," I shouted, getting pissed. Well, pissed...er. "Do you know the difference?"

"Yes, Ali. Look, I'm sorry," Paul stammered.

"This isn't just about you and me anymore. Paul, I'm having a baby. We're having a baby," I didn't sound as angry now. More...resigned. How on earth could he do this?

"I know. I wish it was that easy," Paul groaned. I looked him in the eyes.

"Do you still love me?" it was an easy question. I needed to know. It should've been easy for him to answer, but he hesitated.

"I don't know. It's not like I have a choice," he smirked. I could hear the sarcasm in his tone. And then I knew. He never really loved me. Not like how I loved him. And Linda loved him like that. And he loved Linda like that.

"There's always a choice. You just made the wrong one," were my words to him before getting into my car and hitting the gas.

My bag was easy to pack. Getting into the car was harder. I wanted so badly to forgive him, to let him back in. To get married. To live that perfect life. A life that he couldn't stand. Paul was ready for marriage. Just not with me.

Oh, my child would be born into a painful world indeed.

The flight went by in silence. I didn't hurt. I was numb. The hurt would come later.

I went home. Not to Pauline. To the house. My safe-haven. The place where The Eagles almost fell apart. Here, I found my old bed and curled up, still numb. I shut my eyes, hoping he would be there when I opened them up. He wasn't. And he never would be. Never again. I would never feel his arms around me again. I would never hear his songs at three in the morning. I would never feel his lips against mine. And, as I lay there in the darkness, I realized I'd have to live with that.

**It gets better. I promise. But you'll have to wait. So review. Don't flame. All that jazz. See you all next week.**


	26. The End

**OHMYGODTHEHOBBITISAMAZING! Sorry, had to get that out of the way :). So. Here we are. The end. Holy crap!**

**Anywhatsit, I'll save the epically long AN for after you've read the chapter. So, off you go!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own 'em**

Jack was there when I woke up. She stayed with me for those next few weeks. Held me through my pain, my anger and my tears. And through those weeks, I got strong. I healed. I started eating. I took my engagement ring off. Small battles were slowly but surely won.

After a month, I emerged back into society. I wasn't okay but I was getting there.

I gave birth November 17th to a baby girl. Paul wasn't there; Linda was pregnant so he would stay with her. She was mine, though, my little baby.

I named her Julia Marie, after both my mom and Paul's. And it was then, as I was holding my child for the first time, that I really grew up. Suddenly, Paul's cheating didn't matter. And it was then, while I watched her sleep, that I truly forgave Paul. For better or worse, we had parted ways. But Julia was still here. And I decided that she would know her dad too.

The day Paul cheated on me was the day the Lennon-McCartney relationship died. John never forgave him, no matter what I did.

It was around this time that Cynthia came to America to stay, brokenhearted. John had broken ties with her in favor of a Japanese woman by the name of Yoko.

When I returned to London a few weeks after that, I was greeted with quite a shock. I lost my brother. He was either high, tripping, pissed or hung over. Yoko was quite the druggie too, but to a lesser degree. I love Cyn, don't get me wrong, but a lot of the hatred directed towards Yoko is just wrong. Flawed though she may be, she didn't break the Beatles up. John did. Paul did. I did. Not her.

By the time I left, we had a grudging friendship that would blossom after they both quit the worst of the drugs. And while I was there, Linda and I rebuilt parts of what we once had. Have I ever truly forgiven her? No. But she is Julia's stepmother, so I've decided to set a good example. Linda is a good person and Paul is lucky to have her. I just wish both of them had the guts to end things well. Regardless, I stayed until Linda delivered Mary. While I was there, I also forged a relationship with Heather, who was 4 at the time and absolutely adored Julia.

I came home to two surprises, both of which were infinitely huge. Cynthia and Casey were together. And, to my complete total and utter shock, Jack and Josh had found love in each other as well. I mean, _holy crap_. Who would've thought?

A few more years passed. I fell in love again, for good this time. If you had told me in 1964 that I would end up married to Drew, I'd call you insane. But now I'm Mrs. Alihandria Johnson-Lennon. Just goes to show. We had a son, John William. And, three years later, another daughter by the name of Jacqueline Elizabeth.

Jack and Josh had triplets, Eddie James, Landon Steele and Quinn Alihandria, although Landon is just called Andy.

Casey and Cyn never had any other kids, but Casey turned out to be a great Dad for Julian, who came to live with them. They've been nothing but faithful to each other.

Now I have my family. The Eagles are still coming out with music, although by Sergeant Pepper, I accepted my music would never beat the Lennon-McCartney label. And the White Album and Abbey Road only proved me right. Once the Beatles broke up, I played overdubs on John's albums and joined Wings for a tour, along with Drew and the kids, which was a blast.

I have a lot to be thankful for. My family, extended and screwed-up. My friends, who are basically my family. My music. As I'm writing this, it's 1979. My children are beautiful. My life isn't perfect per say, but it's pretty damn close. And, looking back, I'm proud of my life and how I've lived it.

My name is Alihandria Johnson-Lennon. Once I was lost, but now I'm found. I'm where I belong, no matter what anyone else says. I'm a mother, a wife, a sister, a friend, a twin and an aunt. I have my family. And nothing else matters.

**Well, that's that then. The end. Wow. It's been quite a ride. Thank you all. I'm gonna go one at a time and hand out cookies now.**

**FlowerChild17: The night I published this, I went to bed thinking that no one would see it. Your review in the morning both shocked and thrilled both me and Leaf, who helped me get this sucker up. I've always loved your writing and you're just all-around awesome. Have a cookie.**

**The Crazy Violist: I honestly don't know where to start. Your one-shot was the first Beatle-related thing I had ever seen. You review my stuff, then beta it. I've learned so much from you. Thanks for all that brutal honesty :) Here's a cookie.**

**paulsgirl34: Well, I wake up one morning to read the longest string of reviews EVER and then find out the person behind it is pretty firetrucking awesome. Nuff said. Now nom a cookie.**

**BeatlesGirl9: I'm glad all your play stuff is over so we can PM again :). Thanks for putting up with all my bored ramblings and all that crap. Take a cookie.**

** 0225: LOL I just remembered you have an account here :). Fail. Anywho, thanks for the support with ending this sucker. I can't wait to get back to roleplaying. This is for you *hands you hot cheeto and a cookie***

**FiendishThingie00: Leaf loves your username. Just saying :). Thanks for the reviews. Gah...must you have the 00s? Now Leaf's making a crap-load of pervy jokes...anywho, have a twinkie. Sorry, cookie. FUCK YOU LEAF.**

**The Starkiller: You're probably going to be this first person to review this, as normal :). I really appreciate I can count on one review, even if the chapter epically sucks. This is a cookie. Eat it. AND LIKE IT, GOSHDARNIT! :)**

**woolhatchick393: Leaf also approves of your name. But minus the pervy jokes. THANK GOD. Anyway, you be awesome. And another reliable reviewer. Now nom your cookie.**

**Beatlefan22: Thanks for putting me on favorites. But you never reviewed, so I can't make some awesome inside joke thingie...crap. Just know I appreciate it and you get a cookie.**

**Princess Rose-Paul: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WILL YOU PLEASE UPDATE WE ALL LIVE IN A BIG BLUE BOX AGAIN?! Sorry, had to say it :). Thanks for everything. Seriously. Now eat a well-deserved cookie.**

**klinghoffer: Thanks for adding me to the Big Long Favorite List Of Doom. Yet again, no review so I really don't get to say anything all that interesting. Just a thanks and a cookie. Which you now get to eat.**

**Leaf-The-Muddy-Stormbringer: Big-ass gun. Nuff said :). Seriously, dude, I love you to little tiny pieces of fluffy, smelly doom. SO I CAN STICK YOU IN CHEWIE'S HAMSTER BALLS! Really, though, thanks for everything. DOOM, DESTRUCTION AND DESPAIR NOW EAT A GODDAMNED COOKIE. **

**Well, that's it with the thank-yous. Now, on to more doomish business.**

**There will be a sequel. It will be a collab between Leaf and myself. It will focus on Julia and Quinn, mostly. There will be doom, rock and more doom. It'll come out sometime in the relatively near future. Hopefully.**

**Do you want an OC in the sequel? Drop me of Leaf-The-Muddy-Stormbringer a PM and we'll take the first three people. Just know you probably won't have all that much influence on the plot. But we can always use new minions ):)**

**I suck at saying good-byes. It's a good thing I'm sticking around, then. :) I love you all, thank you so much for all the support. Now, Ali Lennon is signing out.**


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